Five years before his death in 2025, Val Kilmer was cast as Father Fintan, a Catholic priest and Native American spiritualist, in the film 'As Deep as the Grave.' However, due to his battle with throat cancer, Kilmer was too ill to ever make it to the set.
Despite Kilmer not shooting a single scene, the film's writer and director Coerte Voorhees has used state-of-the-art generative AI to include the late actor in the ensemble, with the cooperation of Kilmer's estate and his daughter Mercedes. 'His family kept saying how important they thought the movie was and that Val really wanted to be a part of this,' Voorhees said.
The AI version of Kilmer will appear in a significant part of the finished film, using both younger images provided by his family and footage from his final years to show his character at various life stages. The audio also utilises Kilmer's voice, which was damaged by a tracheal procedure later in his life. The character in the film suffers from tuberculosis, mirroring Kilmer's actual condition.
'As Deep as the Grave' is an indie production that endured shutdowns from the COVID pandemic, stretching production to six years. The filmmakers initially cut scenes involving Father Fintan for budget reasons but later realised they were essential to the narrative. 'We had to think of innovative ways to do it. And we realised the technology is there for us,' said Coerte Voorhees.
The Voorhees brothers acknowledge that their decision may draw criticism amid the heated debate surrounding AI, but they hope the film will show how AI can be used ethically. They note that the production relied on SAG guidelines and compensated Kilmer's estate for his appearance. In a statement, Mercedes Kilmer expressed support, saying her father 'always looked at emerging technologies with optimism as a tool to expand the possibilities of storytelling.'
