Artificial Intelligence

AI Resurrects Val Kilmer for Film Role in 'As Deep as the Grave'

Is using AI to bring Val Kilmer back to the screen a fitting tribute to his legacy or a dangerous precedent for Hollywood?

Published MAR 20

AI Resurrects Val Kilmer for Film Role in 'As Deep as the Grave'

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Above: Actor Val Kilmer poses at the "Felon" photo call at the Regency Hotel in New York City on July 8, 2008. Image credit: Rob Loud/Getty Images

The Facts

Val Kilmer, who died from pneumonia on April 1, 2025, at age 65, will appear in the indie drama "As Deep as the Grave" via generative AI, nearly a year after his death. Kilmer had been cast in the film five years prior, but never filmed a single scene due to his battle with throat cancer.
Variety
Daily Mail
Director and writer Coerte Voorhees built the role of Father Fintan — a Catholic priest and Native American spiritualist — specifically around Kilmer, drawing on the actor's Native American heritage and his connection to the American Southwest.
Rolling Stone
Guardian
Kilmer's estate, his daughter Mercedes and his son Jack all approved the use of generative AI to recreate the actor's likeness. The production followed Screen Actors Guild (SAG) guidelines and compensated the estate for his appearance.
Kotaku
No Film School
The film uses archival photos and footage spanning Kilmer's life — much of it provided by his family — to depict the character across different time periods. An AI-recreated version of Kilmer's voice, damaged in his later years by a tracheal procedure, is also used for the character suffering from tuberculosis, echoing his real-life illness.
AV Club
GeekTyrant
Variety
Production on "As Deep as the Grave," previously titled "Canyon of the Dead," stretched over six years due to COVID pandemic delays and budget constraints. Kilmer's scenes were cut at one stage before filmmakers determined his role was a "major missing element." Producers aim to release the film this year.
Page Six
No Film School
The Associated Press
This is not the first time AI has been used to include Kilmer in a film. In 2022, he partnered with Sonantic to create an AI-powered speaking voice to reprise his role as Tom "Iceman" Kazansky in "Top Gun: Maverick," after throat cancer treatment damaged his vocal cords.
Daily Mail
Variety

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The Spin

Techno-optimist narrative

Using AI to bring Val Kilmer to the screen in "As Deep as the Grave" is a genuinely ethical use of the technology — the estate approved it, SAG guidelines were followed and Kilmer's estate was compensated. Kilmer himself embraced AI to restore his voice for "Top Gun: Maverick," proving this aligns with his own values. Honoring a role he deeply wanted fulfills his artistic legacy rather than exploiting it.

Variety

Entertainment Weekly

Techno-skeptic narrative

Putting words and movements into a dead man's body via AI isn't filmmaking — it's digital necromancy, and a family's blessing still doesn't make it right. Val Kilmer never filmed a single scene — so this is simply a soulless, generated fiction. AI is already gutting human labor in Hollywood, and normalizing this sets a precedent that erases the irreplaceable craft of living actors.

Michael J. Knowles on Youtube

Substack

Cynical narrative

Of course, this is framed as "legacy" and "art," but let's not pretend the incentives aren't obvious. A recognizable name like Kilmer, his kids and estate signing off, and a film that suddenly becomes more marketable. Call it a tribute if you want — but it reads more like using AI to monetize a brand than to honor a person.

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