Claiming to have been granted the rights to the late Tejano icon’s life story and music, producer Moctesuma Esparza alleges that Abraham Quintanilla approached him about possible series in 1998.
- Nov 12, 2020
AceShowbiz – The father and sister of late Latin superstar Selena Quintanilla are facing legal action from a disgruntled producer over their new Netflix drama series.
“The Walking Dead” star Christian Serratos portrays the beloved musician on “Selena: The Series“, which chronicles her childhood and rise to fame, before her career was cut short by a deranged fan who shot and killed her on 31 March, 1995 – days before her 24th birthday.
The upcoming show is executive produced by the tragic singer’s dad Abraham Quintanilla and sister Suzette, but producer Moctesuma Esparza claims he was granted the rights to the Tejano icon’s life story and music back in 1995 – and they breached that contract with the Netflix series.
According to legal documents obtained by TMZ, Esparza’s deal covered movie rights and any other remakes, after the success of “Selena”, the 1997 big screen biopic starring Jennifer Lopez, which he helped produce.
Esparza alleges Abraham approached him in 1998 about the possibility of making a TV series or another film based on Selena’s life and career, but nothing came of the discussions.
He also claims to have spoken to Suzette about a young Selena project, but again, nothing came to fruition – until he learned Abraham had signed over the rights to Netflix bosses in 2018.
Now he is taking the Quintanillas and officials at the streaming service to court, and is demanding at least $1 million (£757,000) in damages.
Representatives for the defendants have yet to comment on the news.
“Selena: The Series” is set to premiere on 4 December.
Source: Television - aceshowbiz.com
