Mercedes Kilmer said her father, who died in 2025, “always looked at emerging technologies with optimism as a tool to expand the possibilities of storytelling.”

Val Kilmer’s family reacts to AI depiction of late actor in new movie

Mercedes Kilmer said her father, who died in 2025, "always looked at emerging technologies with optimism as a tool to expand the possibilities of storytelling."

By Sharareh Drury

March 18, 2026 3:44 p.m. ET

Courtesy of First Line Films

Val Kilmer will star posthumously in the film *As Deep as the Grave, *thanks to generative AI.

The actor, who died in 2025 following a battle with throat cancer, was cast in the film in 2020. But his deteriorating health ultimately kept him from portraying Catholic priest and Native American spiritualist Father Fintan while he was still alive.

The film will reportedly construct his performance with AI, using images from throughout his lifetime and recorded samples of his voice.

In a statement to *Variety*, the *Batman Forever* star's daughter, Mercedes, shared why her father would have approved of appearing in a film via the technology.

"My father was a deeply spiritual man and this story of discovery and enlightenment in the American Southwest and his unique role in it really resonated with him," Mercedes shared in a press release.

"He always looked at emerging technologies with optimism as a tool to expand the possibilities of storytelling," Mercedes added. "This spirit is something that we are all honoring within this specific film, of which he was an integral part."**

Mercedes Kilmer with father Val Kilmer in 2019.

Michael Tullberg/Getty

Directed by Coerte Voorhees, *As Deep as the Grave *depicts the true story of Southwestern archaeologists Ann and Earl Morris, who delved into the history of the Navajo people through excavations in Arizona's Canyon de Chelly. Abigail Lawrie and Tom Felton lead the film, starring alongside Wes Studi, Abigail Breslin, Hanako Footman, Ewen Bremner, Tatanka Means, Finn Jones, and Jacob Fortune-Lloyd.

At the time of his casting, Val shared the connection he had with the role, given his own partial Native-American heritage. Mercedes also noted her father's affinity for the Southwest — the actor lived on a sprawling ranch near Santa Fe, N.M. for nearly two decades — as another connection to the film.

"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’s incredible story as the first female archaeologist in North America," Voorhees shared in a press release for the film.

"It was very unfortunate that his health at the time prevented him from playing this role, which spoke to him spiritually and culturally. We are honored to collaborate with his daughter Mercedes, who brings her own filmmaking experience, to bring this character to life in the way that we had all originally imagined it," he added.

Val Kilmer with Tom Cruise in 'Top Gun: Maverick.'.

Paramount Pictures

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Val's final onscreen appearance was also technologically assisted. Due to throat cancer treatments, he had already lost his speaking ability by the time of *Top Gun: Maverick*. The actor teamed with Sonantic to create an AI-powered speaking voice for his return as Tom "Iceman" Kazansky.

"I'm grateful to the entire team at Sonantic who masterfully restored my voice in a way I've never imagined possible," Kilmer said in a statement. "As human beings, the ability to communicate is the core of our existence and the side effects from throat cancer have made it difficult for others to understand me. The chance to narrate my story, in a voice that feels authentic and familiar, is an incredibly special gift."

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