Val Kilmer‘s AI-generated likeness is front and center in the trailer for the forthcoming movie As Deep as the Grave.
Writer-director Coerte Voorhees’ feature debuted the footage at CinemaCon in Las Vegas on Wednesday. Abigail Lawrie, Tom Felton and Abigail Breslin round out the cast for the indie film.
As Deep as the Grave centers on real-life archaeologists Ann (Lawrie) and Earl Morris (Felton), who unearthed remains of the Ancestral Puebloans in the 1920s.
Kilmer’s likeness can be seen portraying Father Fintan, a Catholic priest and Native American spiritualist. “Don’t fear the dead, and don’t fear me,” his likeness says in the trailer.
The Top Gun and Batman Forever actor, who died in April 2025 at age 65 after a long battle with throat cancer, had been cast in the film before he passed but was not well enough to shoot his scenes. As noted in a release from production company First Line Films, Voorhees opted to digitally create Kilmer’s performance with the support of the late star’s daughter, Mercedes Kilmer.
“When Val came onboard the project five years ago, he immediately identified with the historical southwestern spiritual character of Father Fintan, and understood the importance of elevating awareness of Ann Morris’ incredible story as the first female archaeologist in North America,” Voorhees said in a previous statement. “It was very unfortunate that his health at the time prevented him from playing this role which spoke to him spiritually and culturally.”
Mercedes Kilmer added in a statement about her father: “He always looked at emerging technologies with optimism as a tool to expand the possibilities of storytelling. This spirit is something that we are all honoring within this specific film, of which he was an integral part.”
The use of AI in Hollywood has become a hotly debated topic as recent legislation has sought to protect actors’ posthumous digital likenesses. The news of AI-generated actor Tilly Norwood led to criticism from members of the industry, including SAG-AFTRA.
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