Val Kilmer is returning to the screen almost a year after his death, with the late actor set to appear in an upcoming indie film using generative AI to recreate his image, likeness and voice.
Kilmer, who died in April 2025 after being diagnosed with pneumonia, had been cast in As Deep as the Grave before his passing but was never able to film his scenes due to illness.
Writer and director Coerte Voorhees has now revealed that rather than recast the role, the production used state-of-the-art AI technology to bring Kilmer’s performance to life, with the full blessing of his estate and family.
“He was the actor I wanted to play this role,” Voorhees told Variety.
“It was very much designed around him. It drew on his Native American heritage and his ties to and love of the Southwest.”
Kilmer had been set to play Father Fintan, a Catholic priest and Native American spiritualist, a role the director said fitted him uniquely.
With the shoot wrapped and no budget for reshoots, recasting simply wasn’t an option.
“Normally, we would just recast an actor,” Voorhees explained. “But we can’t roll camera again. We don’t have the budget… So we had to think of innovative ways to do it. And we realized the technology is there for us.”
The production secured permission from Kilmer’s estate and compensated it in line with SAG guidelines.
Voorhees was clear that the family’s support was what ultimately gave him the confidence to proceed.
“His family kept saying how important they thought the movie was and that Val really wanted to be a part of this,” he said.
“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 daughter Mercedes, 34, echoed that sentiment, describing her father as “a deeply spiritual man” who connected deeply with the film’s themes of discovery and enlightenment set against the American Southwest.
“He always looked at emerging technologies with optimism as a tool to expand the possibilities of storytelling,” she told Variety.
“This spirit is something that we are all honoring within this specific film, of which he was an integral part.”
As Deep as the Grave also stars Abigail Lawrie, Tom Felton, Wes Studi and Abigail Breslin.
