‘The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 2’ Cast, Trailers & Release Date: Philip Seymour Hoffman Gets Final Salute

Jennifer Lawrence's Katniss Everdeen is going to fight her final battle in the upcoming "The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 2", but more than the end of the beloved franchise, the film also serves as the final project of the late Philip Seymour Hoffman.

The Oscar-winning actor died in February 2014, while production of Mockingjay Part 2 is still ongoing. However, director Francis Lawrence did not pull his character off the film, and instead used the scenes they already shot to keep Hoffman as rebel leader Plutarch Heavensbee in the film that's meant to open in theaters on November 20.

The director said about Hoffman's final performance, "I regret to have that kind of label of it being his last film. Because obviously, there's not quite enough of him in it. I would have liked his role to be larger."

USA Today pointed out that Hoffman's death came with just eight days of shooting left from his total of 55-day stint for the supporting role.

Lead actress Jennifer Lawrence previously shared, "It took a week when I wasn't waking up and having to remember (Hoffman) was gone. We all suffered that together."

However, the final scene that they shot was the worst of all in making them feel Hoffman's absence. A scene where Plutarch was supposed to console Katniss had to be rewritten, by way of Plutarch's words written instead in a letter addressed to Katniss, and the last emotional scene in the franchise.

However, losing Plutarch in the film was nothing compared to losing a friend. Jennifer Lawrence downplayed the scene's impact by saying, "It wasn't Phil, that was his character. The letter scene, that was really nothing compared to what we had to deal with losing Phil."

The rest of the cast also shared reflections about working with Hoffman, as reflected onEntertainment Tonight:

Actor Donald Sutherland, who plays the evil President Snow, said about Hoffman, "He's terrific. He was a wonderful actor."

"I think everybody felt really sad. It was a tremendous loss," Julianne Mooere, who played President Alma Coin, added.

However, as for the franchise itself, the Daily Star noted that "Mockingjay Part 2" has fallen flat, and that Hoffman bowed out in what a finale that is less than he deserved, but considering the quick rewrites to keep up with the release dates of the film, there's not much more that can be expected.

However, what is clear in his final bow, the cast and crew of "The Hunger Games" held him in their highest regards, with actors Liam Hemsworth and Josh Hutcherson staying for the last filming moments despite finishing their scenes. The final scene, which was supposed to feature Hoffman, was among the most emotional, although Hemsworth added, "it was also that the film was coming to an end as well. We were all parting ways."

"The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 2" will conclude the war with the Capitol in theaters on November 20.