Philip Seymour Hoffman Only Had 1 Week of Shooting Left on The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 2

Oscar winner Philip Seymour Hoffman's death today has cast a cloud of uncertainty over how his untimely passing might affect a number of his upcoming projects, including the two-part finale of The Hunger Games. Hoffman joined the franchise as head gamemaker Plutarch Heavensbee in last year's blockbuster The Hunger Games: Catching Fire.

Philip Seymour Hoffman and Woody Harrelson in The Hunger Games: Catching Fire.

The Hollywood Reporter claims "Hoffman had completed his work for Part 1, and had only seven days remaining to shoot on The Hunger Games: Mockingjay -- Part 2. Sources say the films' scheduled release dates of Nov. 21, 2014, and Nov. 20, 2015, respectively, will not be affected by Hoffman's death."

Less uncertain is the fate of the upcoming Showtime comedy series Happyish, in which Hoffman played the lead. It's not certain how much of the show had been completed, whether Showtime will recast the lead or scrap the series entirely now. Showtime issued the following statement regarding Hoffman's death: "Philip Seymour Hoffman was one of our generation's finest and most brilliant actors. He was also a gifted comedic talent. It was a great privilege and pleasure to work with him and we are all absolutely devastated by this sudden loss. Our thoughts go out to his family at this very difficult time."

Philip Seymour Hoffman in Showtime's Happyish.

Hoffman was also set to direct the drama Ezekiel Moss with Jake Gyllenhaal and Amy Adams recently announced as being cast. No word on whether the project will continue with a new director or be scuttled.

In addition to Mockingjay, Hoffman's posthumous releases will include God's Pocket and A Most Wanted Man.

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Oscar-Winning Actor Philip Seymour Hoffman Is Dead at 46

Multiple outlets are confirming that Philip Seymour Hoffman has been found dead in his Greenwich Village apartment. The Academy Award-winning actor was just 46 years old.

Philip Seymour Hoffman in 2012's The Master.

The details of Hoffman’s passing aren’t yet entirely known but all appearances suggest that a drug overdose was the cause of death. The New York Times cites law enforcement sources as saying, “Investigators found a syringe in his arm and an envelope containing what is believed to be heroin.” Hoffman was found by a friend, screenwriter David Katz, who had become concerned when he was unable to get in touch with Hoffman

Hoffman’s struggles with substance abuse are well documented. The actor himself opened up about his battle with addiction around the time he voluntarily checked into a rehab facility this past summer. Prior to that bout with prescription drugs and heroin, Hoffman had reportedly been clean for 23 years.

Hoffman will be remembered as one of the greatest actors of his generation, and not just for his Oscar and Golden Globe winning turn as Truman Capote in 2005’s Capote. He was a consistent standout performer, regardless of the size of his role. His effete, mildly delusional Scotty J. was one of the best parts of Boogie Nights. In just a few minutes of screen time he was able to encapsulate and convey all the burned-out cool of Lester Bangs in Almost Famous. In 2013 he joined the cast of the Hunger Games franchise in the monster hit The Hunger Games: Catching Fire. Much more than a big name to fill a new role, Hoffman brought depth and gravitas to a character who was relatively forgettable in the books.

The actor was set to reprise his role as game smaster Plutarch Heavensbee in the next Hunger Games film, Mockingjay – Part 1 and 2, due in November 2014 and November 2015, respectively. He also had a new Showtime series, Happyish, in the works.

Via WSJ

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Ride Along Remains No. 1 Movie at Box Office for Third Weekend

Kevin Hart and Ice Cube's hit comedy Ride Along pulled off the rare "threepeat" at the box office, staying the No. 1 movie in North America for the third weekend in a row with an estimated $12.3 million haul.

New releases That Awkward Moment and Labor Day both debuted to lukewarm results. The former -- a comedy starring Zac Efron, Michael B. Jordan, and Miles Teller -- bowed in third place with roughly $9 million. Labor Day, a romantic drama starring Kate Winslet and Josh Brolin, opened in seventh place with $5.3 million.

Here are the weekend estimates via Rentrak:

1. Ride Along $12.3 million

2. Frozen $9.3 million

3. That Awkward Moment $9 million

4. The Nut Job $7.6 million

5. Lone Survivor $7.2 million

6. Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit $5.4 million

7. Labor Day $5.3 million

8. American Hustle $4.3 million

9. The Wolf of Wall Street $3.6 million

10. I, Frankenstein $3.5 million

Listen to the Keepin' It Reel podcast to find out what our weekend predictions were!

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New Photos From Transformers: Age of Extinction

Paramount has released a handful of new stills from the Michael Bay-directed Transformers: Age of Extinction, opening June 27. Check 'em out:

Nicola Peltz as Tessa Yeager in Transformers: Age of Extintion.

Mark Wahlberg as Cade Yeager and Jack Reynor as Shane Dyson with Bumblebee.

The new Optimus Prime of Transformers: Age of Extinction.

Director Michael Bay (center) on the Transformers 4 set in China.

Jack Reynor plays Shane Dyson in Transformers: Age of Extinction.

Michael Bay directs Nicola Peltz in a scene from Transformers: Age of Extinction.

Director Michael Bay and Mark Wahlberg on the set of Transformers: Age of Extinction.

Via the official film site and Facebook page.

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Big Award Wins for Frozen, Her, Gravity and Captain Phillips

With the Academy Awards now just a month away, Hollywood was busy Saturday awarding more of their top honors to some of the leading Oscar contenders.

The Annie Awards celebrated Disney's Frozen by honoring it with its top prize of Best Animated Feature, as well as wins for directing, music, and production design. Cast member Josh Gad won the Outstanding Achievement for Voice Acting in an Animated Feature for his performance as the summer-loving snowman Olaf.

Animation icon Hayao Miyazaki won the Annie for writing The Wind Rises, while Disney's retro toon Get a Horse! won Best Animated Short Subject. More Annie winners can be found here.

The Writers Guild of America honored Spike Jonze with the award for Original Screenplay for Her, while Billy Ray took home the nod for Adapted Screenplay for Captain Phillips. Actress-filmmaker Sarah Polley won Documentary Screenplay for Stories We Tell.

Finally, director of photography Emmanuel Lubezki won the Feature Film honor for Gravity at the 28th Annual American Society of Cinematographers (ASC) Awards.

The 86th Academy Awards will be held March 2.

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Harry Potter: J.K. Rowling Reveals Her Regrets About the Ron and Hermione Relationship to Emma Watson

J.K. Rowling has just reignited a major Harry Potter fan debate in a big way. You'll never find a more impassioned section of your fanbase than the "shippers," and there have always been fans who advocated that Harry and Hermione should have ended up together, not Ron and Hermione. Now Rowling has revealed that she actually thinks that, at the least, Hermione probably ended up with the wrong guy for her.

Emma Watson is the guest editor on the new issue of the magazine Wonderland, and she interviewed Rowling for the issue. In the interview, which the Sunday Times first reported on, before it hits stands, Rowling confesses, “I wrote the Hermione/Ron relationship as a form of wish fulfillment. That’s how it was conceived, really." Rowling basically says she stuck with her original plan even while it didn't completely add up for her as the years went on and she developed and grew the characters, telling Watson, "For reasons that have very little to do with literature and far more to do with me clinging to the plot as I first imagined it, Hermione ended up with Ron.”

Rowling is of course well aware of how passionately Harry Potter fans are invested in her characters, continuing, “I know, I’m sorry. I can hear the rage and fury it might cause some fans, but if I’m absolutely honest, distance has given me perspective on that. It was a choice I made for very personal reasons, not for reasons of credibility. Am I breaking people’s hearts by saying this? I hope not.”

IGN Previews the Wizarding World of Harry Potter - Diagon Alley Expansion

It seems Watson herself wasn't so surprised though, essentially agreeing with Rowling and telling her, “I think there are fans out there who know that too and who wonder whether Ron would have really been able to make her happy.” Rowling goes on to say that given that the very different Ron and Hermione did end up together, they must have needed, “relationship counseling.”

It should be noted that, at least in the quotes released by the Sunday Times so far, Rowling doesn't explicitly say she thinks Hermione and Harry should have been a couple either - just that she doesn't think the Hermione/Ron relationship really makes sense. Perhaps the full interview in Wonderland does go more into that. Regardless, Rowling's statement will certainly be the starting point for many more heated online HP fan arguments.

On a side note, while I was perfectly happy with Ron and Hermione being paired together, I must say I found that Harry and Hermione dancing scene (not from the books mind you), complete with a brief, implied moment of, "Hey, what if...?" between them in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1 to be a terrific one...

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Daily Fix Roundup for the Week of January 27, 2014

Browsing the news but not sure where to start? Here's our four Fix episodes from this week to help make it easier. Big news on Super Smash Bros., the PS Vita Slim, and controversy surrounding Tomb Raider: Definitive Edition's frame rate for each console. We also have a massive giveaway with a 4K TV, graphics card, and copy of Tomb Raider: Definitive Edition up for grabs in our Friday episode.

Naomi Kyle is IGN's news host and on-camera personality. You can find her every day on The Daily Fix, kicking ass and taking names. You can follow her on Twitter @NaomiKyle.

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