Five years prior to his death in 2025, Val Kilmer was cast as Father Fintan, a Catholic priest and Native American spiritualist, in “As Deep as the Grave.” But Kilmer, who was battling throat cancer, was too sick to ever make it to set.
“He was the actor I wanted to play this role,” says the film’s writer and director 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.
Even though he didn’t shoot a single scene, Voorhees has been able to realise his vision of having Kilmer in the ensemble by using state-of-the-art generative AI. And he’s done it with the cooperation of the late actor’s estate and his daughter Mercedes (Voorhees says Kilmer’s son Jack is also supportive).
“His family kept saying how important they thought the movie was and that Val really wanted to be a part of this,” says Coerte Voorhees. “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.”
“As Deep as the Grave,” which was previously titled “Canyon of the Dead,” 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. Kilmer, or the AI generated version of the actor, will appear in “a significant part” of the finished film. The project uses both younger images of Kilmer, many of them provided by his family, and footage from his final years to show his character in various stages of his life. The audio also utilizes Kilmer’s voice, which, in his later life was damaged by a tracheal procedure.
“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.”
“As Deep as the Grave” is an indie production, one that had to endure shutdowns from the COVID pandemic that stretched production to six years. At one point, the filmmakers had cut scenes involving Father Fintan for budget reasons and time constraints, but when they looked at the footage, they realised they needed to put them back in to round out the narrative.
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“We really figured out that this is a major missing element,” says Coerte Voorhees. “Normally we would just recast an actor. I’m all about working with our actors, and we have brilliant performances all throughout this movie. But we can’t roll camera again. We don’t have the budget. We’re not a big studio film. So we had to think of innovative ways to do it. And we realised the technology is there for us.
There’s still a heated debate surrounding AI, with some parts of the creative community concerned that the technology will lead to job losses and worries that actors’ likenesses will be used without their consent. The brothers know that their decision may draw criticism, but they hope that “As Deep as the Grave” will show how AI can be used ethically. They also note that the production relied on SAG guidelines and compensated Kilmer’s estate for his appearance.
In a statement, Mercedes Kilmer said she supported the film, and noted that her father was “a deeply spiritual man” who resonated with a “story of discovery and enlightenment” set in the American Southwest where he made his home in New Mexico.
“He always looked at emerging technologies with optimism as a tool to expand the possibilities of storytelling,” Mercedes Kilmer said. “This spirit is something that we are all honouring within this specific film, of which he was an integral part.”
During his lifetime, Kilmer, whose films include “The Doors” and “Batman Forever,” partnered with Sonantic to create an AI-powered speaking voice when he reprised his role as Tom “Iceman” Kazansky in 2022’s “Top Gun: Maverick.”
At the time, Kilmer said he was “grateful” to the technology company. “As human beings, the ability to communicate is the core of our existence and the side effects from throat cancer have made it difficult for others to understand me,” he added. “The chance to narrate my story, in a voice that feels authentic and familiar, is an incredibly special gift.”
Above is a first look image of the generative AI version of Kilmer from the film.
From Variety US