Just days after being honored in the Oscars In Memoriam segment, Val Kilmer is returning to the screen. First Line Films announced on March 18, 2026, that generative AI technology will be used to bring the late actor into As Deep as the Grave an independent film that Kilmer had committed to before his death from throat cancer on April 1, 2025. The announcement has already sparked a wide-ranging conversation about the ethics, artistry, and future of AI in Hollywood.
Val Kilmer was set to play Father Fintan, a Catholic priest and Native American spiritualist in the true-story drama about early 20th-century archaeologists Ann and Earl Morris, who documented evidence of the Ancestral Puebloans in the American Southwest. The film also stars Tom Felton, Abigail Breslin, and Abigail Lawrie. Director Coerte Voorhees designed the role specifically around Kilmer, citing his Native American heritage and deep personal connection to the Southwest.
The production had been delayed for five years due to the pandemic and the actor’s declining health. When it appeared the Father Fintan scenes might be cut entirely, it was the unwavering support of the Kilmer family that convinced Voorhees to press forward using AI.
The AI recreation combined archival footage from his later years with images from earlier in his career, reconstructing his likeness through state-of-the-art generative technology. His voice reproduced using recordings made after his tracheostomy was intentionally retained in its altered form, as the character suffers from tuberculosis, mirroring the real-life condition the actor lived with. All materials were provided by the family, and the estate was compensated in full compliance with SAG-AFTRA guidelines.
Daughter Mercedes Kilmer said her father always approached emerging technologies with optimism, viewing them as tools to expand storytelling possibilities. It was not the first time AI had been part of his work. In 2022, he collaborated with voice AI company Sonantic to recreate his speaking voice for Top Gun: Maverick, after throat cancer had significantly impaired his natural speech.
The announcement arrives at a moment when Hollywood is still actively debating the boundaries of AI use in film. SAG-AFTRA rules require consent from performers or their authorized representatives for digital replicas, a condition met here. Still, questions persist about authorship and simulation. As Deep as the Grave now becomes one of the clearest test cases yet for what ethical, family-approved AI filmmaking can look like and what it means for the industry going forward.
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