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An AI-Rendered Val Kilmer Will Posthumously Appear in a New Film
Val Kilmer’s estate and family supported using AI to recreate him in a key role, blending younger images and AI voice to honor his heritage and health conditions.
- Kilmer's estate and family supported filmmakers' use of AI to include him in As Deep as the Grave, with Kilmer being recreated after his death last year.
- Five years before his death, Val Kilmer was cast but too ill from throat cancer to film, and COVID pandemic delays stretched As Deep as the Grave’s indie production to six years.
- The filmmakers combined younger images from Kilmer's family with footage from his final years and used AI-generated audio reflecting his damaged vocal condition, enabled by Sonantic.
- The filmmakers say they followed SAG guidelines and compensated Kilmer's estate, while producers are seeking distribution with hopes of releasing the film this year amid possible industry criticism.
- As an industry context, archival recreations have precedent, with Carrie Fisher's 2019 scenes and 'Tilly Norwood' prompting union criticism earlier this month, while Kilmer's death last year at age 65 frames this AI work as part of his legacy.
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Director Coerte Voorhees says he is using AI to feature Val Kilmer in "a significant part" in an indie film, with the cooperation of the late actor's estate (Brent Lang/Variety)
Brent Lang / Variety: Director Coerte Voorhees says he is using AI to feature Val Kilmer in “a significant part” in an indie film, with the cooperation of the late actor's estate — Five years prior to his death in 2025, Val Kilmer was cast as Father Fintan, a Catholic priest and Native American…
AI Val Kilmer to Star in As Deep As the Grave
A first-look image was unveiled of an AI-generated Val Kilmer as part of filmmaker Coerte Voorhees’s upcoming drama ‘As Deep As the Grave.’ The AI version of Kilmer will star alongside Tom Felton, Abigail Breslin, and Wes Studi.
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Total News Sources52
Leaning Left10Leaning Right0Center28Last UpdatedBias Distribution74% Center
Bias Distribution
- 74% of the sources are Center
74% Center
L 26%
C 74%
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