An AI-rendered Val Kilmer will posthumously appear in a new film

From *** quirky spy in the 1984 cult classic Top Secret. You guys really are cowboys to the intense fighter pilot in Top Gun, you're everyone's problem. That's because every time you go up in the air, you're unsafe. Val Kilmer's film career took flight in the big 80s, but the slick performer trained at Juilliard honed his acting chops on the stage and saw his craft as *** serious means of exploration. Have you ever turned down something you regretted? No, I don't I don't really think that way. I just look forward and also what you know in in *** personal way what I gained from acting with the opportunity to experience things that certainly you'd never do in your own life. In the 1990s, Kilmer explored the mind of Jim Morrison in Oliver Stone's The Doors. Critics praised him for nailing both the look and the sound of the late singer. I'm huckleberry. Two years later, he played the pasty yet poised gunslinger Doc Holliday in Tombstone, and later *** desperate construction engineer hunting lions in the ghost and the darkness. Along the way, Kilmer co-starred with some of Hollywood's heavyweights like Al Pacino and Robert De Niro in the bank robbery movie Heat and played the superhero. That's the car as Batman in 1995, but it was an earlier collaboration on the set of the 1988 movie. Where Kilmer met co-star Joanne Walley. They were married almost 8 years and had 2 children. Later in his career, Kilmer returned to the stage, playing Moses in the 10 Commandments, the musical. He also wrote and performed the one-man show Citizen Twain, taking on the persona of the great American storyteller. But under the makeup, the actor was dealing with grave health concerns. Kilmer downplayed cancer rumors, but then later said he had beaten the disease, which required *** tracheotomy and left him with *** raspy voice. In 2022, he reprised his role as Iceman in the Top Gun sequel Maverick. Who's the better pilot? You and me. This is *** nice moment. It's not ruin it. Like the actor himself, his once boisterous flyboy character, subdued by illness, still commanded respect and even awe on the silver screen.

Updated: 3:37 PM EDT Mar 18, 2026

Editorial Standards ⓘ

Updated: 3:37 PM EDT Mar 18, 2026

Editorial Standards ⓘ

A year after the actor's death, a generative AI version of Val Kilmer will co-star in an independent film, in one of the boldest uses yet of artificial intelligence in moviemaking.First Line Films announced Wednesday that Kilmer has posthumously joined the cast of a film titled "As Deep as the Grave." The producers said that, before his death, Kilmer had signed on to perform in the movie but was unable to because of his health.Kilmer's estate gave permission for his digital replication and is being compensated for it. Mercedes Kilmer, the actor's daughter, said the role resonated with her father."He always looked at emerging technologies with optimism as a tool to expand the possibilities of storytelling," she said in a statement. "This spirit is something that we are all honoring within this specific film, of which he was an integral part."Kilmer died last April at the age of 65 from pneumonia. In 2014, Kilmer was diagnosed with throat cancer and required two tracheotomies. After losing his natural speaking voice, Kilmer turned to an AI software company to digitally recreate his voice. In his final screen performance, 2022's "Top Gun: Maverick," Kilmer's voice was digitally altered.The use of artificial intelligence in filmmaking has been one of the most contentious topics in Hollywood in recent years. Lately, some have attempted to make greater inroads for AI-generated performance. The company Xicoia last year launched the AI-concocted persona "Tilly Norwood." Earlier this month, it debuted a music video.SAG-AFTRA, the actors union, has condemned Xicoia's "AI actor," but it has regulations around other uses of the technology. Its rules stipulate that consent from performers must be given for the use of digital replicas. "Consent not obtained before death must be obtained from an authorized representative or the union," reads its guidance.Representatives for SAG-AFTRA didn't immediately respond to questions Wednesday.In an email, writer-director Coerte Voorhees and producer John Voorhees said SAG guidelines were followed."We believe we are serving as a demonstrator for how to do it ethically and correctly, especially in the case of working with a deceased actor's estate and family," they said."As Deep as the Grave," formerly titled "Canyon of the Dead," was shot several years ago but has been stuck in postproduction. It's based on a true story about the archaeologists Ann and Earl Morris, whose Arizona excavations uncovered Native American history. The AI version of Kilmer plays Father Fintan, a Catholic priest and Native American spiritualist. The cast includes Abigail Lawrie, Tom Felton, Wes Studi and Abigail Breslin.Coerte Voorhees said Kilmer, who identified as part Native American, was drawn to the project five years ago. Producers are seeking distribution with the hope of releasing the film this year."It was very unfortunate that his health at the time prevented him from playing this role which spoke to him spiritually and culturally," Voorhees said. "We are honored to collaborate with his daughter Mercedes, who brings her own filmmaking experience, to bring this character to life in the way that we had all originally imagined it."

A year after the actor's death, a generative AI version of Val Kilmer will co-star in an independent film, in one of the boldest uses yet of artificial intelligence in moviemaking.

First Line Films announced Wednesday that Kilmer has posthumously joined the cast of a film titled "As Deep as the Grave." The producers said that, before his death, Kilmer had signed on to perform in the movie but was unable to because of his health.

Kilmer's estate gave permission for his digital replication and is being compensated for it. Mercedes Kilmer, the actor's daughter, said the role resonated with her father.

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

Kilmer died last April at the age of 65 from pneumonia. In 2014, Kilmer was diagnosed with throat cancer and required two tracheotomies. After losing his natural speaking voice, Kilmer turned to an AI software company to digitally recreate his voice. In his final screen performance, 2022's "Top Gun: Maverick," Kilmer's voice was digitally altered.

The use of artificial intelligence in filmmaking has been one of the most contentious topics in Hollywood in recent years. Lately, some have attempted to make greater inroads for AI-generated performance. The company Xicoia last year launched the AI-concocted persona "Tilly Norwood." Earlier this month, it debuted a music video.

SAG-AFTRA, the actors union, has condemned Xicoia's "AI actor," but it has regulations around other uses of the technology. Its rules stipulate that consent from performers must be given for the use of digital replicas. "Consent not obtained before death must be obtained from an authorized representative or the union," reads its guidance.

Representatives for SAG-AFTRA didn't immediately respond to questions Wednesday.

In an email, writer-director Coerte Voorhees and producer John Voorhees said SAG guidelines were followed.

"We believe we are serving as a demonstrator for how to do it ethically and correctly, especially in the case of working with a deceased actor's estate and family," they said.

"As Deep as the Grave," formerly titled "Canyon of the Dead," was shot several years ago but has been stuck in postproduction. It's based on a true story about the archaeologists Ann and Earl Morris, whose Arizona excavations uncovered Native American history. The AI version of Kilmer plays Father Fintan, a Catholic priest and Native American spiritualist. The cast includes Abigail Lawrie, Tom Felton, Wes Studi and Abigail Breslin.

Coerte Voorhees said Kilmer, who identified as part Native American, was drawn to the project five years ago. Producers are seeking distribution with the hope of releasing the film this year.

"It was very unfortunate that his health at the time prevented him from playing this role which spoke to him spiritually and culturally," Voorhees said. "We are honored to collaborate with his daughter Mercedes, who brings her own filmmaking experience, to bring this character to life in the way that we had all originally imagined it."

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An AI-rendered Val Kilmer will posthumously appear in a new film

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