Hollywood has been paying tribute to Philip Seymour Hoffman overnight and news outlets have been digging into the gory/unnecessary/sad details of the actor’s suspected heroin overdose. But this morning we’re wondering what Hoffman’s death means for the Hunger Games franchise.
While he’s played some amazing art house and mainstream roles (Capote, anyone?) you’ll have probably last seen him in his role as Plutarch Heavensbee in Catching Fire. As spoiler-alert-but-come-on-where-have-you-been? gamesmaker-turned-goodie, his role is crucial to both Katniss’s survival and the plot of the next book Mockingjay, which is being split into two movies.
Lionsgate, the producers behind The Hunger Games, have released a statement about his death, saying, ‘Philip Seymour Hoffman was a singular talent and one of the most gifted actors of our generation. We're very fortunate that he graced our Hunger Games family. Losing him in his prime is a tragedy, and we send our deepest condolences to Philip's family.' But no official word on how his death will affect the films.
According to The Hollywood Reporter,Hoffman had completed his work for Mockingjay: Part I but had seven days remaining to shoot on the second film, due for release in 2015. So whilet his death is unlikely to affect the release date of the first film (21 November, people), Lionsgate may have to do something smart about the final installment.
Either way, we’re pretty sure there’ll be some emotional tributes from the actress Jennifer Lawrence at the Oscars. And while we wait for news on The Hunger Games, we’ll be reliving Hoffman’s other classics including…
The mind-bending Synecdoche, New York
His Oscar-winning turn as Truman Capote in the biopic of the Breakfast At Tiffany's writer:
And his role in thriller *The Talented Mr. Ripley *
Follow Sophie on Twitter @sophwilkinson
This article originally appeared on The Debrief.