Here we go
It starts.
Just weeks ago, the film community and social media were rocked by the release of AI videos from Seedance programs that showed photo-realistic depictions of Brad Pitt and Tom Cruise engaged in hand-to-hand combat. The program would even show its capabilities of duplicating the actors’ voices and exchanging words in a dramatic fashion. It’s not known how everything will ultimately be regulated in the future, but the not-so-distant-future is about to get interesting.
Val Kilmer’s posthumous acting role
In a shocking exclusive, Variety shares a first look at Val Kilmer starring in an upcoming film titled As Deep As the Grave (formerly Canyon of the Dead), almost a year after his passing. Kilmer’s likeness is recreated for the film using AI. Back in 2025, Kilmer was cast in the movie to play Father Fintan, a Catholic priest and Native American spiritualist. The actor would not be able to work on the film due to his battle with throat cancer.
Coerte Voorhees, the writer and director of As Deep As the Grave, stated, “He was the actor I wanted to play this role. It was very much designed around him. It drew on his Native American heritage and his ties to and love of the Southwest. I was looking at a call sheet the other day, and we had him ready to shoot. He was just going through a really, really tough time medically, and he couldn’t do it.”
Voorhees has implemented AI technology to realize his vision of Kilmer in the role and he is sure to emphasize that he has the support of Kilmer’s family — his daughter Mercedes and his son Jack. Voorhees explained, “His family kept saying how important they thought the movie was and that Val really wanted to be a part of this. He really thought it was an important story that he wanted his name on. It was that support that gave me the confidence to say, okay let’s do this. Despite the fact some people might call it controversial, this is what Val wanted.”
The film is an ensemble, but Kilmer’s role plays a significant part in the plot. The technology used for the AI scenes utilized younger images of Kilmer, as well as footage from his final years, to capture his likeness. His voice would also be duplicated from past recordings. The assets were provided by Kilmer’s family.
Variety has shared the first look at Val Kilmer’s character from the film, which you can view below.
As Deep As the Grave
The independent production of As Deep As the Grave has seen a five-year delay due to factors like the COVID pandemic. At one point, budget restrictions actually had the filmmaker decide to cut the Father Fintan scenes, but he would reconsider when realizing how vital the scenes are to the narrative. John Voorhees, the producer of the film and brother to the director, explained, “The character in the film also suffers from tuberculosis. Again, this historical character mirrored Val’s actual condition when he was suffering from throat cancer. And so when it comes to the voice, this is a really unique opportunity for the character to reflect the condition that the actor was actually suffering from, thus creating a kind of a bridge.”
Per Variety, the film “is the true story of Southwestern archaeologists Ann and Earl Morris, chronicling their excavations in Canyon de Chelly, Arizona in their effort to trace the history of the Navajo people. Abigail Lawrie (Tin Star) stars opposite Tom Felton (Harry Potter), with a cast that includes Wes Studi and Abigail Breslin.”
