Amidst all the Super Bowl celebrations and excitement over the commercials, the world was saddened to learn of the death of Philip Seymour Hoffman. The husband, father, and acclaimed actor was found dead of an apparent drug overdose early on Sunday morning in New York City. Considering that he had such a great talent for his art, it’s an excruciating blow to loose someone so unbelievably talented at such a young age. Fans and colleagues alike took to social media to pay their respects for the late Hoffman who became a fan favorite from appearing in such films as ‘Almost Famous’, ‘Capote’, ‘Pirate Radio, ‘Boogie Nights’, and nearly every movie from Paul Thomas Anderson.

But most recently, the Oscar winner and Tony nominee was known for his role in ‘The Hunger Games: Catching Fire’. Hoffman joined the franchise in the summer of 2012 to play the role of Plutarch Heavensbee, the new Gamemaker that replaced Seneca Crane who may be more than meets the eye. He was set to reprise his role in ‘The Hunger Games: Mockingjay’, the two-part finale of the franchise based on the novel series by Suzanne Collins, but his untimely death brought about questions concerning his part in these movies.

Lionsgate issued a statement on the actor’s passing before discussing details of their films:

“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 since Plutarch Heavensbee plays such a big role in the conclusion of the story, the studio shared that Hoffman had completed a majority of his work on both films and only had seven days of filming left before he wrapped on part 2. It’s unclear about how much he needed to do in that remaining week, but there hasn’t been any talk of making arrangements to find a replacement yet. However, his loss is not expected to affect the release dates of November 21, 2014 and November 20, 2015.

Seeing as how he only had a few days left on set, the production might just have to get creative in post to fill in the gaps left by Hoffman’s absence. We’re likely to get word on a solution in a few days after the filmmakers have some time to weigh their options.

The death of Philip Seymour Hoffman is such a devastating loss to the world of cinema and theater. He was one of the best actors of our day and his unbelievable talents will live on forever in his excellent body of work that he leaves behind.

We here at ScienceFiction.com extend our condolences to his family, friends, and fans all over the world. May he rest in peace.