Val Kilmer set to be revived using artificial intelligence for new movie | Val Kilmer

Val Kilmer is set to be the latest Hollywood star to be brought to life by artificial intelligence. The acting legend, who died last year at the age of 65, will star in the drama As Deep As the Grave.

Kilmer was associated with the project before his death from throat cancer.

The late actor will play Father Fintan, a Native American spiritualist and Catholic priest. Speaking to Variety, director and writer Corti Voorhees said the role was designed around Kilmer, who was an advocate for Native American rights and claimed to have Cherokee heritage.

“He was the actor I wanted to play this role,” Voorhees explained. “It was based on his Native American heritage, his connections to the Southwest, and his love.” But Kilmer was unable to attend due to his battle with throat cancer.

The director works alongside the late actor’s heirs and his daughter, Mercedes, to bring Kilmer to life using the latest artificial intelligence technology. Kilmer’s son Jack, the actor who starred alongside Rory Culkin in 2018’s Lord of Chaos, also supports the project, Voorhees says.

“His family kept saying how important they thought the movie was and that Val really wanted to be a part of this,” Voorhees told Variety. “He really thought it was an important story that he wanted to put his name on… Even though some people might call it controversial, that’s what Val wanted.”

As Deep As the Grave is inspired by the true story of archaeologists Anne and Earl Morris, who worked with the Navajo people in the 1920s to uncover North America’s oldest civilization, the Ancestral Puebloan Civilization. The film, previously titled Canyon Del Muerto, has been in the works since 2023 with Harry Potter actor Tom Felton set to star in the role of Earl and BAFTA award-winner Abigail Laurie to play Anne. The cast includes Academy Award winner Wes Studi and actor Jacob Fortune Lloyd.

Voorhees says the AI-generated version of Kilmer will appear in a “significant” portion of the film. The film will use photographs of the actor taken throughout his life to recreate Kilmer across the decades.

In recent years, artificial intelligence has begun to creep into Hollywood films, and in 2024, Oscar-winning director Brady Corbett’s epic film The Brutalist used AI to set actor Adrien Brody’s Hungarian accent. Last year, Matthew McConaughey and Michael Caine signed deals with startup ElevenLabs, allowing the company to create artificial intelligence versions of their voices.

The 2021 documentary Val tells the story of Kilmer’s life through archival footage, with audio commentary from the actor’s son.