The first trailer for the Western version of Val Kilmer’s AI-starring Western version has been released film

A trailer has been released for the first film starring an AI-certified version of a major Hollywood actor.

Val Kilmer was cast in the Western film As Deep As the Grave before his death in April 2025. Production delays meant that no scenes were ever filmed, but the creative team worked with UK-based company Sonantic to create an AI speaking voice based on his old recordings.

His estate and daughter Mercedes collaborated with filmmakers on a visual deepfake of the actor. Kilmer, who was diagnosed with throat cancer, was also helped by the technology in his appearance in the 2022 film Top Gun: Maverick.

In As Deep As the Grave, Kilmer plays Father Fintan, a Catholic priest and Native American spiritualist, and the trailer — which aired Wednesday at the Las Vegas trade show CinemaCon — suggests his role is large and spans multiple time periods.

Writer-director Corti Voorhees confirmed that Kilmer was seen for approximately an hour into the film’s running time. The trailer shows Fintan as a young man and an elderly person, a spectral figure in the trailer, where he also kneels and tells a child: “Don’t be afraid of the dead and don’t be afraid of me.”

The film stars Tom Felton, Abigail Breslin, and Abigail Laurie.

Speaking to Variety in March, Voorhees said the film and its themes were “very much designed around” Kilmer. “It was based on his Native American heritage, his connections to the Southwest, and his love.” After his death, Voorhees continues, “his family kept saying how important they thought the movie was and that Val really wanted to be a part of this.”

A statement from Mercedes Kilmer said her father “always viewed emerging technologies with optimism as a tool to expand the possibilities of storytelling. This spirit is something we all honor in this particular film, of which he was an integral part.”

Voorhees said the production followed Sag-Aftra guidelines, and that the Kilmer estate — which provided the archival material for them to use — was financially compensated.

In 2022, Bruce Willis, who retired from acting after being diagnosed with frontotemporal dementia, gave his consent to the creation of his digital twin, while actors, including Matthew McConaughey and Michael Caine, licensed the use of their voices to AI Certified Productions.

The estates of actors Laurence Olivier, Judy Garland, and James Dean have also licensed their voices to the same market, ElevenLabs, while a number of celebrities have sought to outsource some of the digital meet-and-greets to AI twins.

Paris Hilton and Kendall Jenner are among those who have reportedly signed deals with Meta for use on platforms including Instagram, while for a fee, users can ask an AI version of Deepak Chopra for advice on “everything from sex to spirituality”.

Among the stars who have expressed more doubts about the use of deepfake versions of their image and voice are Morgan Freeman, Tom Hanks and Scarlett Johansson.