It really messes with me though when someone dies before their last film came out. I watched that Batman movie with a knot in my stomach the whole time.
“He’s so good. But he’s gone. WTF.”
I don’t recall who now but there was some actor whose last film came out more than a year after he died, and that felt messed up and I can’t articulate why.
Brandon Lee and Paul Walker come to mind. A year delay or more isn't rare, I don't think.
[delayed]
Even without incident, many movies with heavy special effects can take up to a year to finish the final draft. I kinda suspect it's by design. Get the studio hooked and ask for more money to increase the production values to match the acting.
River Phoenix had a role (Dark Blood) that he OD'd while filming, and it was put on hold, but then eventually finished and released 19 years later.
Paul Walker is probably the most recent one to fall into that category. I believe his character will be in the next Fast and the Furious movie, but it'll be a CGI role (with family members standing in as the body/face they CG-enhance)