A trailer for the upcoming film As Deep as the Grave has revealed an AI-generated likeness of the late actor Val Kilmer, who died last year. Kilmer was originally cast in 2020 to play Father Fintan, a Catholic priest and Native American spiritualist, but was unable to film due to health issues from throat cancer.
The film, previously titled Canyon del Muerto, tells the true story of archaeologists Ann and Earl Morris, played by Abigail Lawrie and Tom Felton, as they work in Arizona’s Canyon de Chelly and engage with Navajo history and culture. The trailer shows Kilmer at various stages of his life, including a scene where he tells a child: “Don’t fear the dead and don’t fear me.”
Kilmer’s daughter, Mercedes Kilmer, said her father was “a deeply spiritual man” and that the film’s “story of discovery and enlightenment” resonated with him. She noted that he “always looked at emerging technologies with optimism as a tool to expand the possibilities of storytelling.”
The use of AI to recreate Kilmer’s likeness has sparked debate. Comments on the trailer’s YouTube link were divided, with one user praising “technology done right” while another criticised the lip-syncing. The film’s director, Coerte Voorhees, approached Mercedes last year about using AI after a version without Kilmer’s character felt like a “major missing element.”
AI has been used previously in Hollywood, such as recreating Paul Walker’s scenes in Furious 7 and de-ageing actors. The 2023 SAG-AFTRA strike partly addressed concerns over AI in filmmaking.
