Philip Seymour Hoffman Had One "Emotional" Scene Left to Film for 'Mockingjay Part 2'

Philip Seymour Hoffman and Woody Harrelson in Catching Fire

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Philip Seymour Hoffman had one major, emotional scene left to film in the final installment of the Hunger Games series, The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 2. THR spoke with a Lionsgate executive who said, "We’re all extraordinarily sad. But as it relates to production, it’s going to have no impact. Obviously, we're going to have a couple of work-around issues but the movie will be creatively whole. His performances in both [remaining] movies will be up to the best of his craft. We feel it will be a good tribute to him."

Hoffman died tragically on Sunday of an apparent drug overdose.

The Lionsgate executive would not expand on the crucial scene that remains to be shot. But fans can certainly guess what scene it might be. Lionsgate previously stated that the actor had about a week of filming left on Mockingjay Part 2. The final film in the series is set for release in November 2015.

A source with ties to the project said that with the exception of one major scene in the final film, "they seem to have plans that don’t seem very complicated" to complete both pictures without Hoffman. "You can do digital things, you can have conversations where you’re not focusing on him but the people he’s talking to," this observer said.

Rob Legato, a veteran effects supervisor whose latest credit is The Wolf of Wall Street, says he has no specific knowledge about the Hunger Games films but at this point, technology is most likely good enough to generate a convincing image of Hoffman, though some scenes might need to be rewritten. "These days the technology of using someone's likeness is a whole lot easier to do," he said. "I won't say you could generate a Philip Seymour Hoffman with all the acting ability, but you could certainly replicate him for a shot or two."

On a personal note:

The LAST thing we want to do is be insensitive in reporting this information. A man has died tragically which is completely devastating to his loved ones and fans and, obviously, this is the most important part of any story about Philip Seymour Hoffman. We are providing information, which is our commitment to you as a Hunger Games fan site. It's completely natural for people to be curious about what happens next, and we're simply providing that information to the numerous fans who have repeatedly asked us for it.

Philip Seymour Hoffman Was Nearly Finished Shooting 'Mockingjay'

Variety is reporting that Philip Seymour Hoffman was nearly finished shooting his portion of Mockingjay Parts 1 & 2:

With Hollywood still in shock over the death of Philip Seymour Hoffman, Lionsgate was forced to consider how it will move forward with the industry’s most lucrative franchise now, The Hunger Games, which currently is in production on its final two installments, Mockingjay Parts 1 & 2.

Hoffman, who was found dead Sunday morning in New York of an apparent drug overdose, joined the hit franchise in its most recent installment, Catching Fire, playing the game master Plutarch Heavensbee. That film grossed a giant $860 million at the worldwide box office.

According to Lionsgate, the majority of Hoffman’s scenes had been completed, with just seven days left to shoot on Mockingjay — Part 2.

Release dates (Nov. 21 and Nov. 20, 2015) for either installment will not be affected, Lionsgate said.

The Mockingjay shoot began in September in Atlanta and is planned to last into the spring, before shifting to Berlin and Paris for a month, ending in May. Both installments are shooting simultaneously.

Additionally, Lionsgate released a statement 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.”

Hoffman’s part in the last Hunger Games became more significant by the end of the film, though it still was a supporting role.

UPDATE: Jennifer Lawrence, Mockingjay director Francis Lawrence, author Suzanne Collins, and producers Nina Jacobson and Jon Kilik released a joint statement following the news of Hoffman’s death.

“Words cannot convey the devastating loss we are all feeling right now. Philip was a wonderful person and an exceptional talent, and our hearts are breaking. Our deepest thoughts and condolences go out to his family.”

Philip Seymour Hoffman Found Dead at 46

I can't believe I'm writing this horrible headline. Oscar-winning actor Philip Seymour Hoffman has been found dead of an apparent drug overdose in his New York apartment today. He was 46.

Law enforcement officials said Hoffman was found dead at his apartment in the West Village neighborhood of Manhattan. Investigators found two bags of what is believed to be heroin inside the fourth-floor apartment. According to the Wall Street Journal, the actor was found in his bathroom around 11:15 a.m. by a screenwriter, who called 911, the official said.

"We are devastated by the loss of our beloved Phil and appreciate the outpouring of love and support we have received from everyone. This is a tragic and sudden loss and we ask that you respect our privacy during this time of grieving," Hoffman's family said in a statement. "Please keep Phil in your thoughts and prayers."

With great sadness, we mourn the death of an amazing actor and our wonderful Plutarch Heavensbee. Our hearts go out to his loved ones at this horrific time.

Sam Claflin, Liam Hemsworth and Francis Lawrence on the 'Mockingjay' Set

Sam Claflin, Liam Hemsworth and Francis Lawrence were all spotted on the Mockingjay set in Atlanta, GA yesterday. Looks like the snow day break is over and they're back to work on the movie.

More 'Catching Fire' Behind The Scenes Footage from Access Hollywood

Access Hollywood shared a tiny teaser of some behind the scenes Catching Fire footage featuring Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson and Liam Hemsworth. The teaser is to celebrate the Target exclusive Catching Fire special features available on March 7th.

If you missed it, see the official Catching Fire DVD trailer and Target exclusive DVD trailer with behind the scenes footage HERE. See the Entertainment Tonight behind the scenes sneak peek of Jennifer Lawrence and Josh Hutcherson goofing around on set HERE.

'The Hunger Games: Catching Fire' Peeta Supercut

This supercut of EVERYTIME anyone says "Peeta" in Catching Fire may forever change the way you hear the Boy With the Bread's name. It will make you love it more, never want to hear it again, or wonder what language these people are actually speaking.

The video by Wouter De Bruyker definitely made me smile on a very slow news day. The video came from his YouTube channel. Thanks to TheMarySue and The Katniss Chronicles for finding it in the first place.

The Woman Behind Effie's Wildest Wigs Spills 'Catching Fire' Details

You've probably never heard of Alabama hairstylist Ann Bray, unless you follow the wild world of hair shows. She’s been in the business for 54 years, and is the first American to win the World Championship of Hairdressing. She was even knighted by the Intercoiffure in Paris for her international accomplishments (yes, that's a real thing.) But what caught Catching Fire Hair Department Head, Linda Flowers' attention was The Golden Rose, a hairdo that Bray came up with using a model's real hair. Flowers felt the 'do would be a perfect fit for Effie Trinket, and asked Ann Bray to join the Catching Fire team. AL.com talked with Bray about her experiences on the set:

Ann Bray and daughter Shelby Zimmerman with Effie's golden rose wig. Photo by Matt Wake. Ann Bray thought it was a joke at first when Catching Fire hair department head Linda Flowers contacted her about working on the sequel to the 2012 blockbuster The Hunger Games.

"I said, 'Come on," Bray says. On a recent afternoon, she's seated near a row of Belvedere chairs inside Huntsville salon The Masters, which she opened in 1974.

"And they said, 'We're serious.' So I talked with them about it. They sent me a story board of what they wanted to do, and I think all but three things were photos they'd collected of mine throughout the magazines. It was really wild. That was really how it came about, through this one photo, because this rose went viral."

Ah yes, the rose.

An image of Bray's "golden rose" hair design, shot during a session with photographer Luis Alvarez, had caught Flowers' eye. Actress Elizabeth Banks can be seen wearing the post-modern style in her role as larger-than-life character Effie Trinket, in Catching Fire.

The otherworldly hairdo is aptly named. While she fashioned a golden rose wig for Catching Fire, the style captured in the Alvarez photo featured a model's actual hair. "It takes a long time," Bray says of that original 'do. "I can do the actual rose easily in an hour, but to do all the prep work on it you're talking a couple of weeks because the hair has to be processed a certain way. It has to be built a certain way."

Asked what it was like to work so closely with a star of Banks' wattage, Bray fondly recalls Banks hanging out during lunch, "standing in line with the crew and wearing  her little cut-off jeans with holes in them and her little tied-up shirt."

Then Banks sat down for lunch with Bray and Bray's daughter Shelby Zimmerman, who also worked on the Catching Fire hair team.  "We had a good ol' time. She's very, very nice and outgoing," Bray says. Banks signed the pink-pages of an autograph book Bray brought to the set "Ann, stay happy. You rock. XOXO Elizabeth Banks Effie".

Bray describes the Catching Fire set as "very secret' before recalling a scenario in which a Lionsgate helicopter was used to chase off a paparazzi helicopter hovering over leading lady Jennifer Lawrence.

Lawrence's autograph in Bray's souvenir book is a little more business-like, although her bubbly-shaped handwriting is very reminiscent of an average schoolgirl's yearbook scribble. Bray remembers Lawrence being "very wonderful, beautiful and sweet" on-set. "One day there was an older car that pulled up (on set), not a raggedy car but nothing you expect a star to be in, and it was Jennifer. So they could take her back and forth from the hotel without being seen."

Sometimes the extras weren't too fond of their wild hair designs. "If [one of the extras] had their hair done the day before, they kept a little picture in a file, and they brought the picture back to you and you're supposed redo whatever was done the day before, because it might be a different stylist working on you. Some of those girls didn't like what they wore the day before and they tried to sneak in and do something really different, and they got busted a few times, some of the extras."

Bray's work on Catching Fire actually began a few months before film began shooting. She was flown out to Los Angeles to instruct other hairstylists on the avant-garde looks for the film and also to lead advance preparation of hairpieces. Bray estimates the Catching Fire hairstylists used about 500 wigs and hairpieces on the movie, most of which was filmed in Atlanta, except for the jungle scenes which were shot in Hawaii.

When filming began around fall 2012, there would be anywhere from 20 to 65 hairstylists on-set working on Catching Fire. While the hairstylists would never work for more than eight hours straight, sometimes the day began at 2 a.m. - if that's the light the director and cinematographer were looking for. A bus would pick the stylists up and take them to locations such as Atlanta's historical district or a racetrack outside the city, where the Catching Fire chariot scenes were filmed.

Bray recently received a text from Flowers asking about her working on another genre film, although she hasn't been told the project's title yet. She's also considering an opportunity to train film hairstylists, and hoping to work on the final installments of The Hunger Games, MockingjayParts 1 & 2.

Thanks to HGGirlonFire for the tip!

Stef Dawson at the OK Magazine Pre-Grammy Party in Hollywood

 

Our very own Annie Cresta, Stef Dawson, hit the OK Magazine pre-Grammy party at Lure Nightclub in Hollywood last Friday night. It's fun to see the Mockingjay star out and about more often.