sympathy for delicious Tagged Articles at Cinematical

There you go -- those pictures above are two shots of Orlando Bloom playing a "tough as nails" rocker in Mark Ruffalo and Chris Thornton's Sympathy for Delicious. (Go to Just Jared to see them in their entirety.)

I'm sorry, but the guy better be biting the heads off of small animals onstage (or something else equally disturbing and heinous) if we're supposed to believe that he's super tough. A rock star? Sure. A rocky, pop sensation? Sure. Tough. As. Nails. Nah. Maybe as tough as one of those plastic drywall anchor things -- definitely not nail strength.

A few tats and eye makeup is a far cry from true rockerdom. I've seen rocker transformations. I used to know a guy who morphed from Internet geek to savage, head-banging rocker. But Orlando? His look needs more work.

Then again, Bloom fans seemed to like the idea the first time around. So, I ask again now that we can steal a glimpse:

Don't worry, this isn't about some lust-filled obsession with pirates and Abigail Adams. You might remember that back in August, word hit that Mark Ruffalo was gearing up for his directorial debut, Sympathy for Delicious. At the time, Ruffalo and screenwriter Chris Thornton were set to star alongside James Franco. However, after the loss of Ruffalo's brother last month, the project was put on hold.

But now Delicious is back on, Franco is out, and The Hollywood Reporter posts that Orlando Bloom (Franco's replacement) and Laura Linney are in. The film focuses on a paralyzed DJ (Thornton) trying to survive on the streets of Los Angeles when he develops the ability to cure the sick -- but only other people, not himself. He starts to cash in on his new talents, and finds himself between a Jesuit priest (Ruffalo) who tries to help him, and the lead of a "tough as nails" band (Bloom) who wants to exploit him. Linney is playing the band's manager.

Man ... Orlando Bloom as an uber-tough rock star. That is something I just can't imagine. Is Bloom a good replacement for Franco? Can Orlando pull off the "tough as nails" image? Any bets on the likelihood of "Sympathy for the Devil" being on the soundtrack? Weigh in below!

Despite a lack of any real range, Mark Ruffalo is one of my favorite actors -- it's just so easy to identify with the affable schlub character he's made his forte. He's always seemed like a smart guy -- he's made smart choices -- so I'm looking forward to his just-announced directorial debut, the bizarrely titled Sympathy for Delicious. Ruffalo will co-star with James Franco and screenwriter Chris Thornton.

It's hard to know what to make of the premise. "Delicious" is actually the name of a DJ, played by Thornton, who becomes paralyzed and apparently homeless in Los Angeles. He toys with faith healing and discovers the ability to heal people (though not himself), which makes him famous. Ruffalo plays a Jesuit priest who tries to help him; Franco a rock star who tries to exploit him."

I believe we're talking about this Chris Thornton, whose most significant credit is a part in Pretty Persuasion, and who is handicapped in real life following a rock-climbing fall. The all-seeing, all-knowing IMDb claims he's best friends with Ruffalo. The movie sounds like something that might get trapped in the festival circuit, though we'll see -- Franco's presence might help.

Sympathy for Delicious shoots this fall.