Val Kilmer to be 'resurrected' with AI for new film

Val Kilmer is set to be 'resurrected' with AI for the upcoming film As Deep As the Grave.

The actor died last year at age 65. He was involved in the project five years prior to his death from throat cancer.

In the film, Kilmer will play Father Fintan, a Native American spiritualist and Catholic priest.

Director and writer Coerte Voorhees told Variety that the role was designed around Kilmer, who was an advocate for Native American rights and claimed to have Cherokee heritage.

Currently, the film-maker is working on the film with the late actor's estate and daughter Mercedes. Voorhees said that Kilmer's son Jack, who starred alongside Rory Culkin in 2018's Lord of Chaos, also supports the project.

"His family kept saying how important they thought the movie was and that Val really wanted to be a part of this," Voorhees told Variety.

"He really thought it was an important story that he wanted his name on… Despite the fact some people might call it controversial, this is what Val wanted."

As Deep As the Grave is based on the true story of archaeologists Ann and Earl Morris, who worked with the Navajo people in the 1920s to uncover North America's earliest civilisation, the Ancestral Puebloan.

The film, previously titled Canyon Del Muerto, has been in production since 2023 with Harry Potter actor Tom Felton set to star as Earl, alongside Bafta winner Abigail Lawrie playing Ann.

The supporting cast also includes the Oscar winner Wes Studi, as well as Jacob Fortune-Lloyd.

Recreated via images of the actor taken throughout his life, the AI-generated version of Kilmer is set to appear in a "significant" portion of the film, said Voorhees.

In recent years, AI has become more prominent in Hollywood films. In 2024's The Brutalist, AI was used to 'improve' Adrien Brody's Hungarian accent. Last year, Matthew McConaughey and Michael Caine signed deals with AI software startup ElevenLabs, allowing the company to create AI versions of their voices.

In 2021, a documentary about Val Kilmer, directed and produced by Leo Scott and Ting Poo, was released. The film Val, follows Kilmer throughout his life using archival footage, featuring voiceover from the actor's son.

Kilmer's last in-person role was in 2022's Top Gun: Maverick. The release date for As Deep As the Grave is yet to be announced.

The use of AI in film has drawn criticism from several Hollywood actors and filmmakers in the past years, with many going on strike alongside the Writers Guild of America (WGA) and American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) in 2023.

Actors who have spoken out against the use of AI in the entertainment industries include, Meryl Streep, George Clooney, Jennifer Lawrence, Viola Davis, and Mark Ruffalo.