Val Kilmer's Daughter Backs AI Comeback, Says It's Time To Make Peace With The Tech

Well, here we go again. Val Kilmer is coming back to the big screen—but not in the way you might think. The late actor, who passed away in 2025 after a long battle with throat cancer, is set to star in the upcoming film As Deep as the Grave, even though, well, he’s not actually around anymore. How? Thanks to the magic—or weird nightmare—of AI technology.

If you’ve been following along, you might remember that way back in March, First Line Films announced they would use AI to digitally resurrect Kilmer for the role of Father Fintan, a Catholic priest who’s also a Native American spiritualist. This news sparked a pretty predictable firestorm: some moviegoers were creeped out, others were flat-out angry, and there were plenty of calls for the studio to just recast with… you know, an actual living person.

Mercedes Kilmer Steps In

Now Kilmer’s daughter, Mercedes, is chiming in with her take, and let’s just say, she’s not shy about defending her father’s AI performance. According to her, people need to get used to the idea of AI in movies, since it’s not just some passing fad—it’s rapidly becoming a big part of the Hollywood toolkit.

'It started off as a way to overcome the limitations of his illness, but then it evolved into something that he really was like, "Oh, wait. I have a chance to actually set a precedent." It’s kind of fallen into two camps. People that maybe have a more precarious position in the industry and are worried and see AI as a threat — which is absolutely valid — and younger people, younger actors and musicians. I’m a musician and a lot of people that I know are so scared of this technology.'

So basically, she gets why people are freaked out. But she’s also heard from industry veterans who think AI could help actors protect their own image and rights if it’s used properly. In her words, 'And avoiding it, it’s not necessarily the way. It’s much easier to structure the rights if you proactively license something.'

A Blessing from the Estate

This isn’t a case of a studio running wild with old footage, by the way. Kilmer’s family and estate want him in the movie this way. Remember, Kilmer already did a partnership with the UK’s Sonantic to develop an AI version of his voice, letting him famously reprise Iceman in Top Gun: Maverick after he lost his speech. So he wasn’t exactly anti-AI himself. Still, there’s a world of difference between helping someone work around illness and bringing them back entirely via computer code.

Wasn’t This Kilmer’s Choice?

Director Coerte Voorhees is adamant that this isn’t some ghoulish studio maneuver. He says the character of Father Fintan was made for Kilmer, that they talked about the role even as his health declined, and that Kilmer was determined to finish the project—however it had to happen. If you believe Voorhees, Kilmer would have wanted his digital likeness up there, no matter how the filmmakers had to pull it off.

The Big Question

Still, if you’re uneasy about all this, you’re definitely not alone. Mercedes and the estate are fully on board, but the wider debate around AI and consent—especially from actors who can’t give ongoing approval—hasn’t exactly settled down. I get the argument that this is a unique case, given the family’s approval and Kilmer’s openness to the tech, but it’s hard not to feel a little weirded out. At the end of the day, it’ll be up to audiences to decide if they’re cool with it or if it crosses the line.

What Even Is As Deep as the Grave?

The movie itself? It’s a supernatural thriller with a pretty classic premise: two archaeologists go looking for the mysterious 'Canyon of the Dead' and, shocker, get a lot more than they bargained for. Kilmer (or his digital doppelganger) headlines alongside an eclectic cast:

• Abigail Breslin
• Tatanka Means
• Tom Felton
• Hanako Footman
• Jacob Fortune-Lloyd
• Finn Jones
• We Studi
• Ewen Bremner
• David Midthunder
• and others

As for when you’ll see it? The film is aiming for a 2026 release, but there’s no locked-in date yet.

So there you have it: Val Kilmer, thanks to AI and the blessing of the people closest to him, is making what you could call his final encore. Whether that’s a satisfying tribute, or just one more chapter in the all-too-familiar saga of Hollywood pushing technology to strange new places, I’ll leave for you to decide.