Val Kilmer died in April 2025, but Hollywood isn't letting mortality get in the way of storytelling. An upcoming independent drama called As Deep as the Grave will see the late actor appear on screen in a significant role, accomplished entirely through generative AI—without him ever setting foot on set.
Kilmer had been cast as Father Fintan, a Catholic priest and Native American spiritualist, five years before his death, but was unable to film due to his health battle with throat cancer. Director Coerte Voorhees faced a choice: recast the role or find an alternative. He chose the latter.
"He was the actor I wanted to play this role. It was very much designed around him. It drew on his Native American heritage and his ties to and love of the Southwest," Voorhees told Variety. Rather than recasting, the director explained: "Normally we would just recast an actor. I'm all about working with our actors, and we have brilliant performances all throughout this movie. But we can't roll camera again. We don't have the budget. We're not a big studio film."
The technical approach is straightforward in concept, complex in execution. The production uses younger images of Kilmer, many provided by his family, alongside footage from his final years to show the character at various stages of life. The audio also utilises Kilmer's voice, which was damaged by a tracheal procedure. This detail becomes narratively meaningful: the real-world character Father Fintan, a historical figure, also suffered from tuberculosis with a damaged voice.
The key approval came from Kilmer's family. His family kept saying how important they thought the movie was and that Val really wanted to be a part of this. "He really thought it was an important story that he wanted his name on," according to Voorhees. His daughter Mercedes made an explicit statement of support, saying her father "always looked at emerging technologies with optimism as a tool to expand the possibilities of storytelling."
Voorhees was careful to position the project as ethically sound. The production relied on SAG guidelines and compensated Kilmer's estate for his appearance. Kilmer himself had experience with AI voice reconstruction: in 2022, he worked with Sonantic to help create an AI-powered speaking voice when he reprised his role as Iceman in Top Gun: Maverick.
What makes this case noteworthy is that Kilmer came to this technology willingly before his death. Yet questions linger. The broader entertainment industry remains fractured over posthumous AI recreation. Robert Downey Jr. has made clear his estate's intention to sue any executive using his digital likeness posthumously. Meanwhile, California Governor Gavin Newsom signed legislation requiring actor consent for their digital likeness to be used in life and death, set to take effect in 2025.
There's a heated debate surrounding AI, with parts of the creative community concerned about job losses and unauthorised use of actors' likenesses. The filmmakers know their decision may draw criticism but hope "As Deep as the Grave" will demonstrate how AI can be used ethically. That framing matters, because it's harder to argue something is exploitative when the deceased's family actively participates in its creation and the production follows industry guidelines.
Yet the existence of family approval raises its own complications. Should family preferences override broader questions about whether any AI recreation honours an actor's full autonomy, or whether it simply creates the impression of consent after the fact? The rights to a deceased actor's likeness depend on state laws, contracts, and estate management, making AI recreations a legal gray area. Usually, the actor's estate controls their image, unless they assigned rights before passing.
For now, As Deep as the Grave sits in post-production, seeking distribution. It's a historical drama about archaeologists Ann and Earl Morris excavating Canyon de Chelly, Arizona. The film stars Abigail Lawrie and Tom Felton alongside Kilmer's recreated performance. When it reaches audiences, viewers will encounter something unprecedented: a lead actor who was never on set, performed entirely by mathematics and memory.
The question the industry will grapple with isn't whether the technology works. It clearly does. The harder question is whether technology working justifies its use, and whether family blessing is sufficient permission to resurrect someone for profit.