Val Kilmer, who died last year, returns to the big screen as an artificial intelligence version in the movie As Deep As The Grave

Last American actor who died in Val Kilmer (1959–2025) returns to the big screen as an artificial intelligence version.

He will be seen Coerte Voorheesin directed in a western film As Deep As The Grave.

The first glimpse of AI-made Val Kilmer was seen on Wednesday at the cinema industry’s Cinemacon event in Las Vegas, where the film trailer was published.

Val Kilmer was cast in his role five years before his death. Due to production delays, he did not have time to film any scenes before his death, as he was no longer in good enough health.

Kilmer’s artificial intelligence voice was created using old recordings. The filmmakers have collaborated with Kilmer’s estate and his daughter. They have offered the filmmakers archival material to use.

They tell about it Variety, The Guardian and The Hollywood Reporter.

As Deep as the Grave about the real-life archaeologist Ann (Abigail Lawrie) and from Earl Morris (Tom Felton), who excavated remains of the pueblo tribe in the 1920s.

According to writer-director Voorhees, Kilmer appears in the film for a total of about an hour. He plays a Catholic priest and a Native American spiritualist.

Voorhees wanted Kilmer to play this very role. He told Variety in March that the film and its themes were largely designed for Kilmer. According to the director, the film draws from Kilmer’s Native American heritage and his ties to and love for the American Southwest.

Kilmer supported Native American causes, having roots in the community.

“His family kept stressing how important they thought the movie was and that Val really wanted to be a part of it,” Voorhees said.

Her family’s support gave her the confidence and courage to use AI to bring Kilmer into the story.

Technology had to be used as an aid also in 2022, when Val Kilmer was involved in the film Top Gun: Maverickbecause the actor who suffered from throat cancer had almost completely lost his voice.

According to Kilmer’s daughter, her father was always optimistic about new technologies, seeing them as opportunities to expand storytelling.

“That’s the spirit we all honor in this film, of which he was an integral part.”

Kilmer will hardly be the only actor to be made into an artificial intelligence version.

Ended his career after being diagnosed with frontal lobe dementia Bruce Willis has, for example, given his consent to the creation of a digital version of himself. According to The Guardian, too Matthew McConaughey and Michael Caine have licensed the use of their voice to the artificial intelligence company for approved productions.

Also age Laurence Olivierin, Judy Garlandin and James Deanin the heirs have licensed the voices to Eleven Labs, which creates living speech with artificial intelligence.

They have taken a more skeptical approach to providing their images and voices for the use of deepfake versions Morgan Freeman, Tom Hanks and Scarlett Johansson.