AI brings Val Kilmer back to life in new movie
An artificial intelligence replica of Val Kilmer, the Hollywood icon who died from pneumonia in 2025, will star in the forthcoming indie film As Deep as the Grave. Variety reported the news Wednesday.
Kilmer had originally been cast as a Catholic priest and Native American spiritualist in the movie, which faced pandemic-related delays. The role was based on a real-life man who played a part in the 1920s archeological excavation of Arizona's Canyon de Chelly, the heart of the Navajo Nation.
The actor ultimately never filmed a scene as his health worsened due to throat cancer.
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Writer/director Coerte Voorhees and producer John Voorhees, who are brothers, said they've used previously recorded material to create a "photorealistic digital model of Kilmer," according to the New York Times.
The Voorhees said they relied on generative AI programs to manipulate the trove of images, video, and audio. The Times reported that they inserted Kilmer's replica into previously filmed scenes using standard editing software. They also deployed AI to generate new scenes featuring Kilmer.
Kilmer's estate and daughter have been supportive of the decision to include an AI version of Kilmer in the film.
"He always looked at emerging technologies with optimism as a tool to expand the possibilities of storytelling," Mercedes Kilmer told Variety. "This spirit is something that we are all honoring within this specific film, of which he was an integral part."
The filmmakers said that Kilmer's estate had been compensated for the appearance and that the production had followed Screen Actors Guild guidelines. Mashable contacted SAG and the Voorhees' production company for comment via email, but did not hear back as of publication.
In 2021, years after Kilmer lost his voice due to throat cancer treatment, he partnered with a software company to create a synthetic voice based on hours of recorded audio of him speaking.
When Kilmer appeared in Top Gun: Maverick as his character, Tom "Iceman" Kazansky, his line of dialogue was powered by that voice.
Rebecca Ruiz is a Senior Reporter at Mashable. She frequently covers mental health, digital culture, and technology. Her areas of expertise include suicide prevention, screen use and mental health, parenting, youth well-being, and meditation and mindfulness. Rebecca's experience prior to Mashable includes working as a staff writer, reporter, and editor at NBC News Digital and as a staff writer at Forbes. Rebecca has a B.A. from Sarah Lawrence College and a masters degree from U.C. Berkeley's Graduate School of Journalism.
