Val Kilmer AI starring in new film after actor's 2025 death

Actor Val Kilmer will appear in the upcoming film “As Deep in the Grave” through the use of generative AI after being cast in the role before his death in 2025.

Kilmer was originally cast to play the role of a Catholic priest five years before his death in 2025. Writer and director Coerte Voorhees said that he had Kilmer specifically in mind for the role.

“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,” he said, according to Variety.

Kilmer did not film any scenes before his death. However, Voorhees said the actor’s likeness will still appear in the film using AI technology, with the cooperation of his family.

“His family kept saying how important they thought the movie was and that Val really wanted to be a part of this,” Voorhees explained. “He really thought it was 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.”

The film is based on a true story about archaeologists working in Canyon de Chelly, Arizona, studying the Navajo people. It will use younger images of Kilmer provided by his family, along with footage from his later years, to depict the character at different stages of life. The production will also use Kilmer’s voice, which had been damaged following a tracheal procedure.

John Voorhees, the film’s producer and Coerte’s brother, said the character will parallel Kilmer’s real-life condition.

“The character in the film also suffers from tuberculosis,” said John Voorhees. “Again, this historical character mirrored Val’s actual condition when he was suffering from throat cancer. And so when it comes to the voice this is a really unique opportunity for the character to reflect the condition that the actor was actually suffering from, thus creating a kind of a bridge.”

Kilmer’s daughter Mercedes issued a statement supporting the project, saying her father was a “deeply spiritual man” and resonated with the film’s “story of discovery and enlightenment.”

“He always looked at emerging technologies with optimism as a tool to expand the possibilities of storytelling,” she said. “This spirit is something that we are all honoring within this specific film, of which he was an integral part.”