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Richard Pryor Jr. Threatens to Sue Stepmother to Stop Biopic

The late comedian's son accuses her of using "illegal, fraudulent" activity to obtain the rights.

Many have been waiting to see comic legend Richard Pryor immortalized on film. However, several road blocks threaten to stop that from happening. First, there was an issue with the director's choice of casting. And now, Pryor's son is taking legal action against his stepmother in an attempt to keep her from making the biopic.

According to TMZ, Richard Pryor Jr. claims that his stepmother, Jennifer Lee Pryor, tricked his father into signing over the rights to his name while he was dying and mentally debilitated. Therefore, in an effort to prevent her from moving forward with the production of the film, Pryor Jr. has fired off a cease and desist letter.

Though the document is not very specific about Jennifer Lee Pryor's alleged plans, it states that she is using "illegal, fraudulent" activity to obtain the rights to the Lee Daniels-directed film.

Confirming Pryor Jr.'s claims, his attorney states that her client believes Pryor was indeed in poor mental and physical health at the time, making him unfit to adequately and capably sign over the rights in 2005.

This all comes after Pryor Jr. vocally expressed his support of Nick Cannon's casting in the biopic, contrary to his initial belief. He most recently said to the Huffington Post, "I am actually excited about it now. He changed my mind by how he is delving into it."

Richard Pryor died in December of 2005.

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 (Photo:  Bob Riha Jr/WireImage)

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