Val Kilmer, the actor who passed away in 2025, will appear in a forthcoming film that he never lived to shoot. The historical archaeology drama As Deep As the Grave will feature an AI version of the actor who passed away at 65 following a battle with throat cancer. This isn’t the first instance of studios employing AI in this manner, but it may prove the most effective. On Wednesday, director and writer Coerte Voorhees told Variety he will use AI to revive Kilmer’s likeness as Father Fintan, a Native American priest. As Deep As the Grave recounts the true tale of an archaeologist couple who collaborated with the Navajo in the 1920s to uncover details about America’s earliest civilizations. According to Voorhees, Kilmer had agreed to take on the role five years earlier, but his battle with throat cancer prevented him from finishing the work. The film has no release date yet. Hollywood actors are increasingly clashing with generative AI, a technology that’s quickly permeating almost every part of the entertainment industry. AI can now replicate actors’ performances with striking realism, from scripting to generating digital likenesses of their faces and voices. In certain cases, studios have taken it further by developing completely new AI “actors” capable of performing without ever setting foot on a set. This has sparked intricate debates over consent, compensation, and creative ownership, as performers confront the fact that their identities and skills can now be replicated, altered, or supplanted by algorithms. These efforts have faced fierce resistance from the SAG-AFTRA actors’ union, which has staged strikes against video game firms and is now in tense talks with film and TV studios.
