Val Kilmer is returning to the screen almost a year after his death, and the late actor will appear in an upcoming independent film using generative artificial intelligence to recreate his image, likeness and voice.
Kilmer, who died in April 2025 after being diagnosed with pneumonia, had been chosen As deep as the grave before his passing, but was never able to film his scenes due to illness.
Writer-director Coerte Voorhees has revealed that rather than recast the role, the production used cutting-edge artificial intelligence technology to bring Kilmer’s performance to life, with the full blessing of his estate and family.
“He was the actor I wanted for this role,” Voorhees said. Variety.
“It was very much designed around him. It was based on his Native American heritage and his ties and love of the Southwest.”
Kilmer had been cast as Father Fintan, a Native American Catholic priest and spiritualist, a role the director said was a unique fit for him.
With filming over and no budget for reshoots, recasting simply wasn’t an option.
“Normally, we would just recast an actor,” Voorhees explained. “But we can’t shoot again. We don’t have the budget… So we had to think of innovative ways to do it. And we realized that the technology is there for us.”
The production obtained permission from Kilmer’s estate and compensated him in accordance with SAG guidelines.
Voorhees was clear that family support was what finally gave him the confidence to move forward.
“Her family kept saying how important they thought the movie was and that Val really wanted to be a part of it,” he said.
“He really thought it was [an] important story in which he wanted his name to appear. It was that support that gave me the confidence to say, ‘Okay, let’s do this.’ Even though some people might consider 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 in the American Southwest.
“He always looked optimistically at emerging technologies as a tool to expand the possibilities of storytelling,” he said. Variety.
“This spirit is something we all honor in this specific film, of which he was an integral part.”
As deep as the grave It also stars Abigail Lawrie, Tom Felton, Wes Studi and Abigail Breslin.
