Val Kilmer, who died last spring, will be starring in an upcoming film by way of artificial intelligence.

The “Top Gun” and “Heat” star died of pneumonia in April 2025 following a more than decade-long battle with throat cancer. He was 65.

“As Deep as the Grave” director Coerte Voorhees told Variety that Kilmer’s character, Father Fintan, was “very much designed around” the actor, who was cast in 2020 and whose generative AI likeness along with his voice feature in “a significant part” of the movie.

“It drew on his Native American heritage and his ties to and love of the Southwest,” said Voorhees.

But the beloved actor, who was diagnosed in 2014, “was just going through a really, really tough time medically, and he just couldn’t do it,” said Voorhees.

Enter the polarizing technology, which Voorhees used to add more footage of Kilmer, given the production didn’t “have the budget” to “just recast an actor” as they would normally opt to do.

“His family kept saying how important they thought the movie was and that Val really wanted to be a part of this. … Despite the fact some people might call it controversial, this is what Val wanted,” insists Voorhees.

Kilmer’s family also afforded the production a slew of younger photos of the actor to help craft the AI rendition.

Kilmer’s estate, which signed off on the work, was compensated per SAG guidelines, according to Variety.

His daughter Mercedes told the outlet in a statement that her dad “always looked at emerging technologies with optimism as a tool to expand the possibilities of storytelling.”

“This spirit is something that we are all honoring with this specific film, of which he was an integral part,” continued 34-year-old Mercedes. Her 30-year-old brother Jack is also reportedly on board with their father’s digital participation.

“As Deep as the Grave” centers on real life archaeologists Ann and Earl Morris’ work in tracing the history of the Navajo Nation.

Kilmer in 2022 said he was “grateful” to have worked with Sonantic to develop an AI version of his voice used in ‘”Top Gun: Maverick,” after his natural voice was damaged in a tracheal procedure, making “it difficult for others to understand” him.

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