The debut of a trailer for the indie historical drama As Deep as the Grave at CinemaCon this week revives more than memories of Val Kilmer. It resurrects the actor himself—or at least a generative AI facsimile of him—in a role he never lived to film.
One year after Kilmer’s death from pneumonia at age 65, filmmakers have deployed cutting-edge technology to place his likeness on screen for over an hour, raising urgent questions about consent, legacy, and the boundary between honoring the dead and commodifying their image in an age when Hollywood’s illusions grow ever more godlike.
Kilmer signed on years ago to play Father Fintan, a Catholic priest who also embodies Native American spiritual traditions in a story centered on archaeologists Ann and Earl Morris excavating Canyon de Chelly in Arizona. Production faced pandemic delays and Kilmer’s declining health from throat cancer, which had already robbed him of his natural voice.
Rather than recast or excise the character, the filmmakers—writer-director Coerte Voorhees and producer brother John—later approached Kilmer’s estate, including his daughter Mercedes. With family approval, archival material, and union guidelines emphasizing consent, compensation, and collaboration, they built the performance through AI.