{"id":1888045,"date":"2026-04-17T15:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-04-17T12:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=1888045"},"modified":"2026-04-17T15:00:00","modified_gmt":"2026-04-17T12:00:00","slug":"as-deep-as-the-grave-filmmakers-defend-recreating-val-kilmer-using-ai","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=1888045","title":{"rendered":"As Deep as the Grave Filmmakers Defend Recreating Val Kilmer Using AI"},"content":{"rendered":"
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The Dead Speak! And they star in movies too in the upcoming As Deep as the Grave<\/a>, which features an AI-recreation of Val Kilmer<\/a> in an important role, despite the actor passing away in 2025<\/a> and having never filmed any material for the film. <\/p>\n<\/p>\n

At Wednesday’s CinemaCon, the first teaser trailer<\/a> for As Deep as the Grave was debuted, followed by a Q&A with the filmmakers, including director Coerte Voorhees and his brother, producer John Voorhees, moderated by Variety\u2019s Brent Lang. Since the announcement was made about the AI recreation of Kilmer<\/u><\/a> being a part of the film, there\u2019s been some curiosity mixed with plenty of very understandable negative reactions to the news, amongst an ongoing debate about the ethics of ever placing an artificial version of a deceased actor in a movie they didn\u2019t actually make. <\/p>\n

Overall, it’s difficult not to feel like this whole endeavor is off-putting and gimmicky, something the trailer did little to dissuade. From Real Genius to Top Gun to Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, Val Kilmer was an awesome onscreen presence. But it\u2019s hard to enjoy watching something that can never truly be anything more than a mimicry of the actor, no matter how much it looks or sounds like him. <\/p>\n

Yes, there are some unique specifics about how the AI version of Kilmer ended up in As Deep as the Grave, given Kilmer had, in fact, initially agreed to be in the movie many years ago. Production began back in late 2020, and Coerte noted they were one of the first movies to begin to film in New Mexico again in the midst of strict Covid protocols, though they also had many starts and stops as a result, stretching into 2021. <\/p>\n

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However, Kilmer\u2019s deteriorating health meant he had to drop out of the project before he filmed any material. Initially, the decision was made to simply cut his character, Father Fintan, from the story, with Coerte saying they eventually decided something important was missing without Fintan in it. <\/p>\n

Set in the 1920s, the story focuses on real-life archeologists, husband and wife Earl and Ann Morris (played by Tom Felton and Abigail Lawrie), whose impressive claims to fame include Earl serving as an inspiration for Indiana Jones and Ann having a place in history as the first female archeologist ever. Father Fintan is a Catholic priest with tuberculosis (yes, this obviously evokes Kilmer\u2019s amazing performance in Tombstone), and the Voorhees\u2019 said Kilmer was very attracted to the film and its themes, including how it tied into his own Native American heritage. <\/p>\n

The Voorhees\u2019 are obviously aware of the controversy around the film, and when asked their response to those saying this is inauthentic and opening Pandora\u2019s Box, John Voorhees replied, \u201cThat is absolutely their right to say that.\u201d He added they did \u201cwhat we believe is really the only way to actually ethically do something like this,\u201d noting that Val Kilmer\u2019s children, Mercedes and Jack, had given them \u201can enthusiastic yes\u201d when approached about the possibility of recreating their father in AI. The Kilmer family provided a large amount of personal footage of Kilmer as reference, beyond his film roles, and John noted they were following current SAG guidelines for AI recreations, which includes \u201cthe three Cs: Consent, compensation and collaboration.\u201d <\/p>\n

But this AI Kilmer\u2019s role is no mere cameo, with the filmmakers revealing that in the current cut of the movie \u2013 which they added is quite long, though they wouldn\u2019t give a specific runtime \u2013 he\u2019s in an hour and seventeen minutes of it. Yet asked if they would describe this as a Val Kilmer performance, Coerte replied, \u201cVal Kilmer influenced this performance.\u201d Which again gets back to the issue at hand, which is no one <\/em>is actually giving a performance as Father Fintan, since it\u2019s all artificial.<\/p>\n

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What’s Your Reaction to AI Val Kilmer?<\/h2>\n

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