Filmmakers defend AI-generated Val Kilmer performance in new film as “ethical”
The resurrection of the late American actor Val Kilmer in the upcoming As Deep as the Grave movie quickly sparked backlash online, but filmmakers defended their approach as “the ethical way”.
Kilmer was cast in the role of Catholic priest Father Fintan in 2020, but was unable to film as his health condition deteriorated. He was diagnosed with throat cancer in 2014 and died in 2025 at age 65 from pneumonia.
Instead of recasting his role, the team used AI to generate his appearance.
Director Coerte Voorhees and his brother, producer John Voorhees, said they received permission from Kilmer’s children to utilize AI for this role using archival footage, photographs, and voice recordings.
"When we lost Val and we had to basically cut a huge portion of the original story, we weren't planning on using AI at the time," John Voorhees told ABC News. "AI has been a newer tool, and when AI has become more accessible and quite frankly, has gotten to the point where it actually can do this properly, that's what gave us the confidence to then include this part."
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Kilmer appears in the historical drama for more than an hour at different stages of his life, at some point saying: “Don’t fear the dead and don’t fear me.” The line, delivered by the AI-generated character and featured in the trailer, infuriated viewers online, who called it "terrifying" and "disgusting."
However, Coerte and his brother John believe that they’ve approached the project in a responsible way, claiming to have followed all AI guidelines established by the SAG-AFTRA actors union.
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"We're, in this project, demonstrating what we think is a good way to appropriately handle a performance like this in an ethical way," John Voorhees said. "The collaboration of the family, and true to what Val wanted to do when he gave this permission, this blessing, to fulfill this character."
He added that Kilmer's estate approved the project, was compensated, and even collaborated artistically. However, Voorhees also acknowledged the concerns: "There's so much change happening that, of course, it's scary and it's something that people are uncertain about."
AI technology was previously used to recreate Kilmer’s voice for his appearance in Top Gun: Maverick after he lost it due to tracheotomy.
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