Val Kilmer to Appear in New Movie Through AI After His Death

Val Kilmer to Appear in New Movie Through AI After His Death

Beloved actor Val Kilmer, who died in April 2025 at age 65, is being brought back to the screen in an upcoming film nearly a year after his passing.

Kilmer was originally cast as Father Fintan, a Catholic priest and Native American spiritualist, in the independent film As Deep as the Grave. The role was created with him in mind, but he was too sick to film any scenes while battling throat cancer and its complications.

Rather than recasting the part, the movie’s writer‑director Coerte Voorhees chose to use generative artificial intelligence to recreate Kilmer’s likeness and voice. According to reports, this effort was carried out with the full cooperation of Kilmer’s family and estate.

The film uses archival footage, images and voice samples to construct an AI version of Kilmer that appears on screen, even though he never shot a single scene. The production team said this approach was the only way to bring Voorhees’ original vision to life, and that Kilmer’s daughter Mercedes Kilmer supported the decision.

As Deep as the Grave follows the story of archaeologists working in the American Southwest and explores cultural and historical themes tied to Native American history. In addition to Kilmer’s AI performance, the movie stars Abigail Lawrie, Tom Felton, Wes Studi and Abigail Breslin.

This marks one of the most high‑profile uses of AI technology to present a performer posthumously, raising both interest and debate about the future of digital recreations in film.