The late Val Kilmer will be back on the big screen more than a year after his death with the help of state-of-the-art AI.
Kilmer is set to appear posthumously in an upcoming indie film he was originally cast in six years ago titled As Deep as the Grave, according to a Wednesday, March 18, report from Variety. (The Top Gun star died from pneumonia in April 2025. He was 65.)
Writer and director Coerte Voorhees revealed that he specifically “designed” a role for the beloved actor: Father Fintan, a Catholic priest and Native American spiritualist.
“It drew on his Native American heritage and his ties to and love of the Southwest,” Voorhees said. “I was looking at a call sheet the other day, and we had him ready to shoot.”
Kilmer secured the role in 2020, but the COVID pandemic caused significant delays in filming that stretched production to six years.
Due to various circumstances, Kilmer was unable to ever get in front of the camera as he was battling throat cancer and “going through a really, really tough time medically.”
Although the filmmaker has faced controversy for proceeding with an AI-rendered version of the star, Kilmer’s estate, his daughter Mercedes, 34, and son Jack, 30, have given the producers their approval, Voorhees claimed. (Kilmer and ex-wife Joanne Whalley welcomed daughter Mercedes in 1991 and son Jack in 1995.)
“His family kept saying how important they thought the movie was,” said Voorhees. “He really thought it was [an] important story that he wanted his name on,” adding, “This is what Val wanted.”
Viewers will see Kilmer’s likeness, with images of the star in his younger years provided by family and footage from his final years to show his character’s evolution. Kilmer’s voice will also be featured in the movie.
Producer John Voorhees, Coerte’s brother, said the role also has personal ties to Val, as he faced a similar health battle. “Again, this historical character mirrored Val’s actual condition when he was suffering from throat cancer,” John explained.
“And so when it comes to the voice this is a really unique opportunity for the character to reflect the condition that the actor was actually suffering from, thus creating a kind of a bridge.”
The director noted that in most cases, “we would just recast an actor.”
“But we can’t roll camera again. We don’t have the budget,” Coerte admitted. “We’re not a big studio film. So we had to think of innovative ways to do it. And we realized the technology is there for us.”
