J.K. Simmons and Elizabeth Mitchell have joined the cast of ESPN’s movie about NASCAR legend Dale Earnhardt. The movie, titled “3” after the number of Earnhardt’s car, is set to begin filming April 14 in Atlanta and Charlotte, N.C., ESPN says. Barry Pepper is playing Earnhardt. Russell Mulcahy (“Highlander,” “Skin”) will direct the film, which will track Earnhardt’s life from the small town of Kannapolis, N.C., his rise through the NASCAR ranks and his lightning-rod status as both a hugely popular and widely reviled figure among the sport’s fans. Simmons, a regular on HBO’s “Oz” and the ABC series “The D.A.,” will play Dale’s father, Ralph Earnhardt, a driver in NASCAR’s early days who introduced his son to stock-car racing. Mitchell (“The Lyon’s Den”) will play Teresa, Dale Earnhardt’s wife. The movie is scheduled to premiere on ESPN in December.(Zap2It.com)(4-1-2004)
