Actor Val Kilmer died in April of 2025, but he’s getting a new movie role, with some assistance from AI. It’s being reported that back in 2020, Kilmer landed a role in the film As Deep as the Grave, but his throat cancer prevented him from actually performing. Now, however, technology is giving Kilmer the chance he never got in life: the director of As Deep as the Grave (formerly Canyon of the Dead) is using new generative AI to realize Kilmer’s performance onscreen – and he has the full support of Kilmer’s children and the rest of his estate to do it.
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Kilmer had been cast as “Father Fintan” in As Deep as the Grave, a Catholic priest who is also a Native American spiritualist. The role was a direct reflection of Kilmer’s real-life heritage, which includes Cherokee tribal heritage, in addition to Swedish, German, and Irish roots. The character also suffers from tuberculosis (according to producer John Vorhees), which would’ve meant that Kilmer’s vocal restrictions would’ve fit the character. It was such a significant alignment between actor and role that the film’s director, Coerte Voorhees (John’s brother), couldn’t let Val Kilmer’s death steal the opportunity. That, and the indie budget of the film, and a production that has taken six years, left few other options.
Why Val Kilmer Is Being Brought Back For An AI Performance, Explained
“He [Val Kilmer] was the actor I wanted to play this role,” Coerte Voorhees explains. “It was very much designed around him. It drew on his Native American heritage and his ties to and love of the Southwest. I was looking at a call sheet the other day, and we had him ready to shoot. He was just going through a really, really tough time medically, and he couldn’t do it.”
“His family kept saying how important they thought the movie was and that Val really wanted to be a part of this,” Voorhees continued. “He really thought it was an important story that he wanted his name on. It was that support that gave me the confidence to say, ‘Okay let’s do this.’ Despite the fact some people might call it controversial, this is what Val wanted.”
Kilmer’s Family Supports It (& So Did He)
“He always looked at emerging technologies with optimism as a tool to expand the possibilities of storytelling,” Kilmer’s daughter Mercedes said in a statement. “This spirit is something that we are all honoring within this specific film, of which he was an integral part.”
Val Kilmer had also been open about using technology to overcome physical limitations: AI was used to recreate his speaking voice for a cameo performance as “Iceman” Kazansky in Top Gun: Maverick (2022). “As human beings, the ability to communicate is the core of our existence and the side effects from throat cancer have made it difficult for others to understand me,” the actor said in a statement at the time. “The chance to narrate my story, in a voice that feels authentic and familiar, is an incredibly special gift.”
The AI performance will be drawn from both younger photos and images of the actor and some of his final performances, to depict Father Fintan at various stages of his life. It’s said that this AI version of Kilmer will appear in “a significant part” of the film.
“We really figured out that this is a major missing element,” says Coerte Voorhees. “Normally, we would just recast an actor. I’m all about working with our actors, and we have brilliant performances all throughout this movie. But we can’t roll camera again. We don’t have the budget. We’re not a big studio film. So we had to think of innovative ways to do it. And we realized the technology is there for us.”
What Is As Deep as the Grave About?
As Deep as the Grave is based on a true story, centered on Southwestern archaeologists Ann and Earl Morris and excavations in Arizona, trying to study the history of the Navajo Tribe. Abigail Lawrie (Tin Star) and Tom Felton (Harry Potter) star in the lead roles, with Abigail Breslin (Zombieland) and Cherokee actor Wes Studi (Last of the Mohicans, Dances with Wolves) also appearing in the film.
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Source: Variety
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