Philip Seymour Hoffman’s last leading role before his death from a heroin overdose in February can now be seen in theaters. In A Most Wanted Man, based on John le Carré’s 2008 novel, Hoffman plays Gunther Bachmann, a German spymaster who heads a small anti-terrorist unit in post-9/11 Berlin. Typical of a le Carré thriller, high-level espionage quandaries ensue. (In an essay for the Times, le Carré called Hoffman’s performance in Capote “the best single performance I’d seen on screen.”)
Hoffman’s ghost is present at Comic Con this weekend, too. His voice is the first thing people heard during the one-minute trailer for The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1. (He introduces the rebellion to his Boogie Nights and Magnolia co-star Julianne Moore.) The versatile actor’s ghost may not be quite done its haunting either. Before his death, Hoffman filmed a pilot for the new Showtime series Happyish. Showtime’s David Nevins says there’s a chance Happyish could air with a new lead. Hoffman played an ad man who struggles with the notion and actuality of selling out.