AI Generates Lifelike Images of Val Kilmer Across Different Ages

First Line Films is utilizing generative artificial intelligence to feature the late Val Kilmer in the upcoming drama As Deep as the Grave. A trailer released by April 16, 2026, showcases the posthumous performance of the actor, who died in 2025 at age 65 following a battle with throat cancer.

The production is using state-of-the-art generative AI to recreate Kilmer’s likeness and performance digitally. This technical solution was implemented after Kilmer, who had been cast in the project five years prior to his death, became too ill to report to the set.

AI Model Training and Implementation

To realize the performance, developers trained AI models using a comprehensive collection of images of Kilmer from across his entire life. This specific training methodology allows the filmmakers to recreate the actor at various ages, a detail visible in the recently released trailer.

The AI-generated version of the actor appears in a significant portion of the film. Rather than recasting the role after the production paused due to Kilmer’s health, director Coerte Voorhees opted to use generative AI to maintain the original casting vision.

Kilmer portrays Father Fintan, a character described as a Catholic priest and Native American spiritualist. According to Voorhees, the role was specifically designed around Kilmer, drawing on the actor’s Native American heritage and his ties to the American Southwest.

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.

Coerte Voorhees via Variety

Estate Cooperation and Ethical Framework

The use of posthumous AI recreation was conducted with the explicit cooperation of Val Kilmer’s estate. His daughter, Mercedes Kilmer, and his son, Jack Kilmer, both provided support for the project.

Voorhees stated on March 18, 2026, that the family emphasized the importance of the film’s story and indicated that Kilmer himself had expressed a strong desire to be part of the production.

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 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.

Coerte Voorhees via Variety

Historical Context of the Production

The film, which was previously titled Canyon of the Dead, is based on a true story from the 1920s. It follows archaeologists Ann and Earl Morris during their excavations in Canyon de Chelly, Arizona.

The narrative chronicles the efforts of the archaeologists to trace the history of the Navajo people and study the Ancestral Puebloans. Their discoveries are noted for shaping the modern understanding of early societies in the American Southwest.

The integration of generative AI in As Deep as the Grave represents a continuing trend in the film industry to use digital likenesses for actors who are unable to perform, provided there is legal and familial consent.