AI-generated Val Kilmer to appear in posthumous film role
TL;DR: Val Kilmer will posthumously appear in the film As Deep As The Grave using generative AI, a year after his death from pneumonia. Filmmakers say they worked closely with Kilmer’s estate and his daughter Mercedes. The project arrives amid ongoing tensions between performers’ unions and studios over AI protections, including UK actors recently voting to refuse digital scanning on set.
Val Kilmer, who died from pneumonia a year ago, will appear in an action-adventure film thanks to what its producers describe as the first-ever performance enabled by generative AI. The Top Gun and Batman Forever star was originally cast in As Deep As The Grave five years ago but was unable to work on set due to illness.
First Line Films, the New Mexico-based production company behind the project, says it has worked closely with Kilmer’s estate and his daughter Mercedes on the AI-generated performance. Kilmer will play Catholic priest and Native American spiritualist Father Fintan, a role the actor reportedly felt connected to both culturally and spiritually.
A growing precedent
Kilmer had previous experience with AI recreations of his performance. In 2021, he used the AI voice platform Sonantic to develop a synthetic version of his voice after throat cancer treatment permanently damaged it. That technology was used in Top Gun: Maverick, where Kilmer reprised his Iceman role.
The film also stars Tom Felton of Harry Potter fame and actress Abigail Lawrie, and follows archaeological excavations in Canyon de Chelly, Arizona. It is currently in post-production with a release expected later this year.
Industry tensions remain unresolved
The project lands at a fractious moment for AI in entertainment. Last year, the launch of Tilly Norwood, described as the first fully AI-generated actor, stirred fresh anxiety across the industry. SAG-AFTRA, the US actors’ union, recently concluded a month of negotiations with major studios without reaching a new deal on AI protections.
In the UK, Equity members voted overwhelmingly to refuse digital scanning on set, seeking stronger safeguards against unauthorised AI use of performers’ likenesses. The UK government also abandoned plans this week to allow AI firms to use music without permission, signalling a broader shift in how creative industries are approaching AI rights.
Looking forward
The Kilmer project is distinctive because it has estate consent, but it sets a precedent that the industry has yet to fully reckon with. For UK creative professionals and businesses, the question is not whether AI performances will become routine, but what protections will be in place when they do.