I happened to be in the heart of North Carolina's Nascar country in 2001, when Dale Earnhardt died at the Daytona 500. By the end of our weekend trip, Earnhardt's fans had begun making pilgrimages to his home in the area; everyone we saw seemed to want to talk about the racing legend's death.
So it doesn't surprise me that there's a big enough fan base out there to merit a biopic about Earnhardt's life. Variety reports that the Sony-based Red Wagon Entertainment has secured the rights to Earnhardt's life from his son, racer Dale Jr., and his widow Teresa. The movie will tell his life story, including the romance with his wife and the collaboration between him and his son as they both made their names in the racing world.
The article also mentions that racing-themed movies haven't exactly been hits, citing Days of Thunder as an example. It seems to me, though, that Nascar gets more popular every year, and all those devoted fans who drove to North Carolina to pay tribute to Earnhardt will come out in droves to see this movie. With all the talk that goes on about how Hollywood doesn't pay attention to the people in the middle of the country, this could be a great example of how to make movies aimed at middle America that doesn't condescend. Also, it'll have badass racing scenes, and that's something everyone can enjoy.
