Variety Exclusive: Vladar Company Producing ‘As Deep As The Grave’ Featuring AI Recreated Val Kilmer Five Years After His Death
The independent film pioneers AI technology to bring the late actor Val Kilmer back to life
The late Val Kilmer will appear in the upcoming independent film As Deep as the Grave through the use of advanced generative AI technology, as reported by Variety earlier today.
The project, co-produced by The Vladar Company, marks one of the first major narrative film roles for a deceased actor recreated with full cooperation from the actor’s estate and family. Director Coerte Voorhees revealed that Kilmer had originally been cast in the film years before his death but was unable to perform due to severe health complications. Now, through a combination of archival footage, AI reconstruction, and voice technology, Kilmer will appear in a significant role in the finished film.
A Role Designed Specifically for Val Kilmer
Years before production was completed, Voorhees had written the role of Father Fintan specifically with Kilmer in mind. The character is portrayed as a Catholic priest and Native American spiritualist whose presence ties deeply into the film’s themes of cultural history and spirituality.
According to the filmmaker, Kilmer’s personal background made him the ideal choice for the part.
“He was the actor I wanted to play this role,” says Coerte Voorhees. “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.”
The actor had long-standing ties to the American Southwest and Native American culture, elements that strongly influenced the character and the narrative of the film. However, at the time the project was preparing to shoot, Kilmer was battling severe health challenges related to throat cancer and ultimately became too ill to participate in filming.
Despite having him scheduled on early production call sheets, Kilmer never made it to set.
Rather than replacing him, the filmmakers later decided to pursue a different solution.
AI Technology Brings Kilmer Back to the Screen
The creative team behind As Deep as the Grave ultimately turned to generative AI technology to fulfill their original vision of having Kilmer in the film. Using a combination of younger images provided by Kilmer’s family and footage from his later years, the production created a digital representation of the actor at multiple stages of life. The AI-generated version of Kilmer will appear in what the filmmakers describe as a “significant” supporting role.
The film also uses Kilmer’s distinctive voice. After undergoing a tracheal procedure during his cancer treatment, Kilmer’s natural speaking voice was permanently damaged. In later years, technology helped reconstruct his voice digitally so he could continue to perform and communicate. This same approach helped bring authenticity to the AI version of Father Fintan.
Producer John Voorhees explained that the character’s condition in the film closely mirrors Kilmer’s real-life health struggles.
“The character in the film also suffers from tuberculosis,” says John Voorhees, the film’s producer and Coerte’s brother. “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.”
According to the production team, that overlap helped make the AI recreation feel both respectful and meaningful rather than purely technical.
A Story Rooted in Real History
As Deep as the Grave tells the true story of archaeologists Ann and Earl Morris and their excavation work in Canyon de Chelly, Arizona. The historical drama follows their efforts to uncover and document the early history of the Navajo people. The archaeological work conducted in the canyon became an important part of understanding the region’s cultural and historical significance.
The film stars Abigail Lawrie and Tom Felton, best known for his role as Draco Malfoy in the Harry Potter film series. The ensemble cast also includes Wes Studi and Abigail Breslin.
Originally titled Canyon of the Dead, the film is an independent production that has taken nearly six years to complete. Like many productions that began filming around 2020, it faced significant disruptions during the COVID-19 pandemic. Those delays stretched the timeline and created financial constraints for the project.
At one point during editing, scenes involving Father Fintan were removed entirely due to budget limitations and the inability to return to filming. But once the footage was reviewed, the filmmakers realized the character played a vital role in completing the narrative. That realization ultimately pushed them toward exploring the use of AI technology.
Ethical Questions Around AI in Hollywood
The decision to digitally recreate Kilmer arrives during an ongoing debate within the entertainment industry about artificial intelligence. Many actors and creators have expressed concerns that AI could eventually be used to replicate performers without their consent or replace human labor entirely.
However, the team behind As Deep as the Grave says their approach was built around ethical guidelines. The production worked with the actor’s estate and family members to obtain approval and source materials for the digital recreation. The filmmakers also followed union standards set by SAG-AFTRA and compensated Kilmer’s estate for the use of his likeness.
For the creators, the project is meant to demonstrate how AI can be used responsibly when proper permissions and collaboration are involved.
Support From Kilmer’s Family
Kilmer’s daughter, Mercedes Kilmer, publicly expressed support for the film and its use of AI to complete her father’s role. In a statement, she described her father as someone who believed strongly in the spiritual themes explored in the film and felt connected to the story’s setting in the American Southwest.
Kilmer spent many years living in New Mexico and often spoke about his appreciation for the region’s landscape and culture. According to Mercedes Kilmer, her father also had a history of embracing new technologies in storytelling. That perspective played a key role in the family’s decision to support the project.
Kilmer’s Earlier Experience With AI Voice Technology
The use of AI in As Deep as the Grave is not entirely unprecedented for Kilmer’s career. In fact, the actor had already worked with voice reconstruction technology during his lifetime. When he returned as Tom “Iceman” Kazansky in the blockbuster sequel Top Gun: Maverick, Kilmer collaborated with the AI voice company Sonantic to recreate his speaking voice.
The technology allowed Kilmer to deliver dialogue that sounded authentic despite the severe limitations caused by his throat cancer. At the time, Kilmer expressed gratitude for the opportunity to continue telling stories through emerging technology. He described communication as one of the most important aspects of human life and viewed AI voice reconstruction as a meaningful way to regain that ability.
A New Era of Digital Performances
The AI recreation of Val Kilmer in As Deep as the Grave represents another milestone in the evolving relationship between filmmaking and artificial intelligence.
While debates around the ethics and implications of the technology are far from settled, this project offers a case study in how digital tools can be used to fulfill a creative vision while honoring an actor’s legacy. For director Coerte Voorhees, the goal was never to replace Kilmer but to complete the performance that the actor had already agreed to bring to life.
With the support of Kilmer’s family and estate, the film aims to present a performance that blends history, technology, and storytelling in a way that reflects the spirit of the actor himself.
As the industry continues to grapple with the future of AI in filmmaking, As Deep as the Grave may become one of the earliest examples of how that future unfolds.
