AND ESPN announced Wednesday it will present a docudrama on Dale Earnhardt in the late summer that explores seminal moments in the racer’s life. “It’s not a controversial movie. It’s an inspirational one,” said Ron Semiao, ESPN senior vice president of original entertainment. Shooting on 3: The Dale Earnhardt Story will start in the next two months in Atlanta or Charlotte, N.C., executive producer Orly Adelson said. The title represents the number of Earnhardt’s car and the three generations of racers in his family, said writer Robert Eisele. Adelson is starting to cast the film with director Russell Mulcahy. The chronological script will span Earnhardt’s life and end with his death at age 49 in the Daytona 500 in 2001. Three actors will portray Earnhardt. His family is not involved in the production, Semiao said. “It touches the important moments of his life, the moments that changed Dale or his career or his relationships,” Adelson said. “It gives you a look into the man.” She said the inspiration comes from Earnhardt’s learning the value of life before he died. “He had built something he hadn’t had before,” she said. “Those are the things you’d want to see because the racing is obvious.” The film will mix authentic racing with re-created scenes. To prepare the script, Eisele said he watched videos, read articles and books and interviewed people in the racing world who knew Earnhardt. “I actually love the character of Dale Earnhardt, and I never knew him,” Eisele said. “He’s a fascinating individual, the Intimidator. He was loved by fans, feared by his fellow competitors, and some of them didn’t like him much because he changed the way that they raced on those tracks.”(Orlando Sentinel)
AND II: ESPN has accelerated its development of several made-for-TV movies in 2004, including one devoted to the late seven-time Winston Cup champion, Dale Earnhardt. ESPN made the announcement Wednesday at the Television Critics Association winter press tour in Hollywood, Calif. The project, called “3: The Dale Earnhardt Story,” will chronicle the life of Earnhardt, who died in a last-lap crash at the 2001 Daytona 500. ESPN hopes the show will be ready by late summer. Casting is expected to begin soon. It will be ESPN’s third original long-form production. The 24-hour sports network is also planning movies this year on baseball star Pete Rose; track star Roger Bannister; and the 1997-78 New York Yankees. Negotiations regarding the movie have been ongoing between ESPN and officials with Dale Earnhardt Inc., including owner Teresa Earnhardt.(ThatsRacin.com)(1-8-2004)
UPDATE – ESPN doing Earnhardt movie, but without widow’s blessing: ESPN officials confirmed Thursday much of the footage of a planned made-for-TV movie devoted to the life of the late NASCAR star Dale Earnhardt could be filmed in Charlotte and Atlanta. Rob Tobias, ESPN’s director of media relations, said the network originally had discussions with officials with Dale Earnhardt Inc., including owner Teresa Earnhardt, the driver’s widow. “In the end, we couldn’t agree on a story line, so we have proceeded on with the project. The script has been given the green light,” he said. Tobias said the movie should be ready by late summer. Production is under way and casting decisions will be made soon, he said. DEI officials reached Thursday declined to comment on the movie. A spokesperson at Lowe’s Motor Speedway in Concord, N.C., said ESPN had not been in touch with the track as yet.(ThatsRacin.com)(1-9-2004)