News That Val Kilmer Will Star In New Film Using Generative AI Sparks Debate—And His Daughter Just Weighed In

In a development that’s already dividing audiences, Val Kilmer will return to the screen in a new film despite having died in 2025. At the center of it all is a stark reality: the actor never filmed a single scene.

The historical action film As Deep as the Grave stars Kilmer as Father Fintan, a Catholic priest and Native American spiritualist. Written and directed by Coerte Voorhees, the film also stars Abigail Lawrie, Tom Felton, and Abigail Breslin.

Previously titled Canyon of the Dead, the project tells the true story of Southwestern archaeologists Ann and Earl Morris and their excavations in Canyon de Chelly, Arizona, as they worked to trace the history of the Navajo people.

Director Coerte Voorhees on casting Val Kilmer in the role:

“He was the actor I wanted to play this role. It was very much designed around him…”

Kilmer claimed Cherokee ancestry through his paternal grandmother and was a noted advocate for Indigenous rights. He built longstanding relationships with Native American communities, particularly in the Southwest, where he lived.

His role in Thunderheart, playing an FBI agent with Sioux roots, helped shape his engagement with Native culture, spirituality, and the struggles of the Lakota people at Pine Ridge.

The director reflected on Kilmer’s connection to the story:

“It drew on his Native American heritage and his ties to and love of the Southwest. I was looking at a call sheet the other day, and we had him ready to shoot."

"He was just going through a really, really tough time medically, and he couldn’t do it.”

Even without filming a single scene, Voorhees moved forward with incorporating Kilmer into the film using generative AI—something he says was done with the cooperation of the actor’s estate and his children, Mercedes and Jack Kilmer.

Voorhees emphasized moving forward with AI despite controversy:

“He really thought it was important story that he wanted his name on. It was that support that gave me the confidence to say, okay let’s do this."

"Despite the fact some people might call it controversial, this is what Val wanted.”

Framed by the filmmakers as “ethical AI,” the production combines archival footage, family-provided materials, and digitally recreated elements to depict Kilmer’s character across different stages of life. His voice—significantly altered in later years following a tracheostomy—is also recreated as part of the performance.

Producer John Voorhees, Coerte Voorhees’ brother, talked about the parallels between Kilmer and the character:

“The character in the film also suffers from tuberculosis. Again, this historical character mirrored Val’s actual condition when he was suffering from throat cancer."

"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 production stretched across six years, slowed by COVID-related shutdowns and budget constraints. At one point, scenes featuring Father Fintan were cut entirely—only to be reinstated later when filmmakers realized they were essential to the story and revisited them with new technology.

Coerte Voorhees discussed turning to AI as a solution:

“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. So we had to think of innovative ways to do it. And we realized the technology is there for us.”

You can watch the Voorhees brothers’ interview with TODAY below:

- YouTubeTODAY

The use of AI in As Deep as the Grave arrives amid broader industry shifts. Pophouse Entertainment has acquired Tina Turner’s name, image, likeness, and music catalog, with plans for AI-driven projects following her death in 2023, part of a growing effort to extend artists’ presence beyond their lifetimes.

That momentum has only intensified scrutiny. Critics across the creative industry continue to raise concerns about consent, compensation, and what widespread adoption could mean for working actors. While the Voorhees brothers say they followed SAG guidelines and compensated Kilmer’s estate, questions about precedent—and where the line should be drawn—remain unresolved.

The internet had this to say:

In a statement, Mercedes Kilmer expressed her support for the film, citing her father’s openness to emerging technology and his connection to the film’s themes.

Mercedes Kilmer reflected on honoring her father’s legacy through the film:

“He always looked at emerging technologies with optimism as a tool to expand the possibilities of storytelling. This spirit is something that we are all honoring within this specific film, of which he was an integral part.”

During his lifetime, Kilmer experimented with similar technology. For Top Gun: Maverick, he partnered with Sonantic to recreate his voice using AI, enabling him to reprise his role as Tom “Iceman” Kazansky despite physical limitations from his illness.

That history complicates the current debate. For some, As Deep as the Grave reflects Kilmer’s own willingness to explore new creative tools. For others, it seems the entertainment industry is moving faster than its ethical guardrails—where even death may no longer mark the end of a performance.