Extras! George Lucas working on Ep VII (kinda), Hmmmm bacon, Masters of the Universe gets new masters, Marvel punishes the Punisher, Some Americans get hustled into bad hairstyles and Nicolas Cage is the greatest actor in the world?! Plus much more!

Welcome to The Extras! A daily dose of all the smaller movie related news, clips and just plain cool stuff that you might have missed!

Please look at this teaser trailer for a Punisher fan film, The Dead Can’t Be Distracted, based on writer Greg Rucka’s acclaimed run on comic.

Like what you saw? Well, tough tekkies, because you ain’t seeing any more. Director Mike Pecci has revealed on his site (via CBR) that Marvel have issued him with a cease-and-desist letter to stop all production on the film, something that’s kind of unheard of for the comic book giant.

“According to Marvel it would ‘confuse the audience’ into believing that it’s an official Marvel production. At first, I was flattered that the quality of our work might even compare to the millions they spend on production and advertising, but then the reality of it all set in. Marvel legal was demanding that I don’t release the film! Since when does Marvel go after fan films? Wasn’t there a recent and heavily promoted Punisher fan film with Thomas Jane? What could I do about this?”

If you like torture, then do yourself a favour and go through the film’s site, and check out all the pics, behind the scenes stuff, and journals documenting all the insane commitment and attention to detail that Pecci and co was putting into this. It really is a bit of a bummer that it won’t see the light of day now.

With the witching season just around the corner, its time to think of what you’re going to wear. And since you don’t want to end up with the old “throw a sheet over my head and go as a ghost although everybody will think I’m a member of the KKK”  gag like everybody else, here are 10 Unlikely Halloween Costumes Based on Recent Movies.

Next week, the most delicious film festival in the history of ever will be taking place in New York. Hosted by “Chopped” judge and chef Chris Santos, the first ever Bacon Film Festival will be held on October 17, and will feature 11 short films chosen from hundreds of entries, that all have to do with that most magical of foods: Bacon.

And because Lego is freaking awesome, that’s why, here’s a new Lego poster for Thor: The Dark World.

China’s 2013 Huading Awards was held last night, and Nicolas Cage won the award for Best Global Actor in Motion Pictures. Yes, that’s right. Nicolas Cage is the best actor in the whole world. I think this GIF appropriately sums up my thoughts on this far better than anything I type ever could.

Here are the rest of the winners, all of whom were in attendance to receive their awards, some of whom were just as WTF?

Lifetime achievement award (Jeremy Irons)
Best global actor in motion pictures (Nicolas Cage)
Best global actress in motion pictures (Nicole Kidman)
Best global singer (Avril Lavigne)
Best global director in motion pictures (Quentin Tarantino)
Best global actor in a TV series (Matthew Perry)
Best global actress in a TV series (Michelle Dockery)
Best global action movie actor (Sam Worthington)
Best emerging global talent (Boo Boo Stewart)

Tom Hanks will soon be seen on our screens again in the real-life thriller Captain Phillips. The film has been garnering rave reviews for its uber tense portrayal of a 2009 pirate hostage crisis, but what nobody seems to be asking is how Hanks ended up on that boat in the first place. Well, luckily Tom Hanks: The Movie is here to explain it all to us.

While everybody over at Lucasfilm has been about as tightlipped as a virgin frog about Star Wars: Episode VII, George Lucas’ son Jett has revealed a few interesting tidbits in an interview with Flicks and the City (via Mashable). It turns out that Lucas senior had actually been working on getting Episode VII up and running before the sale of Lucasfilm to Disney happened last year.

“We knew probably a year prior (to the purchase) he had started writing and kind of researching, starting his whole little process. About half way through that process was when the idea of selling to Disney came up… It’s nice because he’s happiest when he’s writing and doing something with his time.”

Despite the sale being quite lucrative, it actually wasn’t the easiest of things as well for Lucas to hand over the reins on Episode VII though. And he still kind of hasn’t done it completely yet either.

“I knew that he was very torn on the matter, he was like a kid who had turned 18 and was ready to leave the house. Every parent has wanted to let their children go, but they want to hold on to you… Yeah, as any parent watching their kid going to college would. He’s constantly talking to J.J. [Abrams, director of Episode VII]. Obviously J.J. was handpicked. He [Lucas] is there to guide, whenever, he’ll help where he can. At the same time, he wants to let it go and become its new generation.”

As far as what the actual story of Episode VII would entail, Jett wouldn’t reveal anything except that he can be smug.

“I already know what happens. I’m happy with what’s going to happen.”

And if you’ve ever wanted unequivocal, scientific proof that the 70’s was a bad time for hair but a great time for hair products, then look no further than these 5 character posters for David O. Russell’s American Hustle featuring stars Jennifer Lawrence, Christian Bale, Bradley Cooper, Amy Adams, and Jeremy Renner.

Speaking of Jennifer Lawrence, she may have better hair in the upcoming The Hunger Games: Catching Fire, but according to an interview director Francis Lawrence gave to NY Mag about the film, she has a stupid face. When she runs.

“She said she always made this stupid face when she ran, and I had to specifically watch out to make sure she didn’t. So I was always checking. I would tell her, “You made the stupid face!”

Lawrence – that’s Francois not Jennifer, please keep up – also went on to say that there would be no need to pop some diazepam before watching this sequel though, as the dreaded shaky cam won’t be seen in his film, which will apparently also be looking a whole lot prettier.

“No! [Laughs.] No shaky cam. I think a lot of people will be happy to hear that… I think the [visual] effects are phenomenal. If you know the book, there’s a monkey-mutt attack, and Weta, who did Rise of the Planet of the Apes and King Kong, did the monkeys for us.”

Looks like director Jon M Chu no longer has the power of Grayskull. Reports are coming in that the G.I. Joe: Retaliation helmer is no longer attached to direct the new version of Masters of the Universe, a new adaptation of the classic 1980’s He-Man and The Masters of the Universe cartoon series and toy line. The series had already been brought to life once before in an 1987 live action film starring Dolph Lundgren and a tsunami of cheese, but while that film set the action on Earth, the new film – which it has been revealed was at one stage simply titled Grayskull –  would be based entirely in the franchise’s magical realm of Eternia.

Well, at least that was the plan. Things may be changing though, as while the film is losing a director, it’s gaining a new writer in Terry Rossio. The screenwriter has penned Disney’s most recent box-office disaster The Lone Ranger, as well as co-writing all the Pirates of the Caribbean movies and the two Antonio Banderas Zorro flicks. Make of that resume what you will.

While the latest Call of Duty videogames are all about the near-future pew-pew-ing and attack dogs and mechs and… zombies?… There has been nothing that they have offered that topped the adrenalizing terror and excitement the original I experienced in the Omaha beach landing in Call of Duty 2. The earlier WWII bases games were known for those iconic moments, and it seems director Jared Pelletier is just as big a fan of them as I am, as he has created this phenomenal short film titled Call of Duty: Finest Hour that captures a lot of those very same feelings.

Last Updated: October 9, 2013