AI-generated images of Val Kilmer are unveiled at CinemaCon, sparking debate about AI’s role in Hollywood

The first images of late American actor Val Kilmer returning to the big screen through artificial intelligence were unveiled Wednesday in Las Vegas, likely to reignite debate over AI’s role in Hollywood.

A youthful digital version of Kilmer appears in the trailer for As Deep as the Grave, saying, “Don’t fear the dead and don’t fear me.” The footage premiered at CinemaCon, where studios preview upcoming films for theater owners.

Brothers Coerte and John Voorhees, who directed and produced the film, aim to release the historical drama by year’s end.

Kilmer, known for Top Gun, Batman Forever, and The Doors, died of pneumonia in April 2025 at 65. The project drew attention last month after filmmakers revealed they had recreated him using AI with his family’s consent.

AI remains a sensitive issue in Hollywood and was central to the 2023 strikes, when actors and writers warned it could threaten jobs.

As Deep as the Grave follows archaeologists Ann and Earl Morris, with Kilmer originally cast as a priest before the pandemic. Health issues forced him to step away, but the project was later revived as AI technology advanced.

He is digitally recast as Father Fintan, a Catholic missionary with tuberculosis who travels to the US Southwest.

“We approached his children, Mercedes and Jack, and they supported it,” Coerte said, noting access to Kilmer’s video archives helped recreate his performances across different stages of life.

The filmmakers described the process as “painstaking,” involving extensive drafting to match how Kilmer might have performed.

They said they followed SAG-AFTRA’s “three Cs” of consent, compensation, and collaboration, arguing the approach shows how AI can be used responsibly in film. — Agence France Presse