Val Kilmer’s Family Reacts to His Posthumous AI Movie Role

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Val Kilmer will appear on movie screens one final time. 

Just under a year after Val Kilmer passed away, his family and friends spoke about his part in the new movie, As Deep as the Grave. He agreed to be in the film five years earlier, but his cancer diagnosis prevented him from being able to film any scenes.

Mercedes Kilmer, daughter of Val Kilmer, told Variety that her family approves of the filmmakers’ decision – including that of writer and director Coerte Voorhees – to use artificial intelligence to include her father in the movie.

Val will play Father Fintan, a character described as both a Catholic priest and a Native American spiritual leader, with Val noting his own Cherokee heritage. Mercedes explained that this story of “discovery and enlightenment” felt meaningful to her father, whom she remembers as a very spiritual person.

Mercedes, Val’s daughter with Joanne Whalley, shared that her father always saw new technologies as a way to enhance storytelling. She explained that this hopeful attitude is being carried forward in a film he was heavily involved with.

The director explained that he always pictured the actor from Heat playing the role of Father Fintan, so he never thought about recasting the part.

Coerte said he’d always envisioned that actor in the role, and the part was actually written with him in mind. Unfortunately, the actor was dealing with serious health issues and had to decline.

He explained that Val’s family repeatedly emphasized how meaningful the film was to him and how eager he was to participate. Val believed it was a significant story he wanted to be associated with, and that family support ultimately gave the speaker the confidence to move forward with the project. Despite potential controversy, the speaker affirmed that it was Val’s wish to be involved.

The debate around using generative AI in Hollywood is heating up, highlighted by the recent case of AI “actress” Tilly Norwood. However, Val Kilmer won’t be the first actor to appear in a film after passing away, as this practice has happened before.

After Carrie Fisher passed away in 2016, her final appearance in the 2019 film Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker wasn’t created with artificial intelligence. Instead, filmmakers used existing footage from earlier movies and visual effects to realistically portray her face on a digital character.

Val Kilmer embraced AI technology before his passing, collaborating with Sonantic to digitally recreate his voice for his part in Top Gun: Maverick.

He explained in 2021 that communication is essential to being human, and treatment for his throat cancer had made it hard for people to understand him. Being able to share his story in his own voice felt like a truly meaningful opportunity.

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2026-03-18 19:49