AI Resurrects Val Kilmer for ‘As Deep as the Grave,’ Stirring Controversy

The battle between generative AI and traditional performing art has heated up, and now the late Val Kilmer has been thrown into the mix. Nearly a year after Val’s death, filmmakers announced that an AI version of the actor will appear in the indie drama As Deep as the Grave.

This is not just de-aging or voice cleanup. It is a posthumous digital recreation of a star who was cast in the film but never shot his role. However, not everyone is excited for it. The announcement sparked mixed reactions, with some critics saying AI is pushing things too far.

As Deep as the Grave comes from New Mexico-based First Line Films. Coerte Voorhees wrote and directed it, and he and producer John Voorhees have said they followed SAG-AFTRA guidance for digital replicas. The film follows archaeologists Ann and Earl Morris and their excavations in Arizona. It also explores Native American history and the lived experiences of the Navajo people. Abigail Lawrie plays Ann Morris, while Tom Felton plays Earl Morris. The cast also includes Wes Studi and Abigail Breslin.

Val’s recreated character is Father Fintan, a Catholic priest and Native American spiritualist. And thanks to a blessing from the actor’s family, a version of Val will appear in the film. Val’s estate gave permission for the digital replica and is being compensated. His daughter, Mercedes Kilmer, backed the project and said her father was always a fan of new technology.

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

Coerte shared a similar perspective. He said the decision aimed to complete a project that Val cared deeply about. “He really thought it was [an] important story that he wanted his name on,” he told Variety. “It was that support that gave me the confidence to say, 'OK, let’s do this.' Despite the fact some people might call it controversial, this is what Val wanted.”

Val died in April 2025 at 65 from pneumonia, according to Reuters. Now, As Deep as the Grave is turning his legacy into a new kind of test case for Hollywood. The family is on board. The estate signed off, but there are still concerns about ethics.

The controversy is not really about some secret family feud. It is about the bigger Hollywood fight over AI, consent, and authenticity. According to the AP, AI-generated performance has become one of the industry’s most divisive issues in recent years. SAG-AFTRA’s guidance says consent must be obtained for digital replicas, and after a performer’s death, that consent must come from an authorized representative or the union. The filmmakers say they followed those rules and believe they are showing how this kind of recreation can be done ethically.