The star, who passed away in April 2025 after complications from pneumonia, will 'play' a role in the independent film 'As Deep as the Grave', although he never managed to shoot in it during his lifetime. According to Variety, the actor's image was fully recreated using generative AI.
The director and screenwriter of the project, Kurt Vurhis, admitted that he originally wrote the role specifically for Kilmer. The actor was to play a Catholic priest and spiritual mentor to indigenous peoples — Father Fintan. The character was inspired by both Kilmer's Native American roots and his love for the southwestern United States.
According to the director, Kilmer enthusiastically agreed to participate in the project, but his serious health condition prevented him from coming to the set. Recall that in 2015, the actor was diagnosed with throat cancer, after which he underwent a tracheostomy that significantly changed his voice. "He was ready to shoot, but he was going through an extremely difficult period in terms of health and simply could not come," Vurhis said.
When it became clear that the film was losing a key character, the team faced a problem: reshooting scenes or replacing the actor was impossible due to the limited budget. The creators then decided to resort to AI technologies. For the creation of the digital image, archival photos of Kilmer were used, including those provided by his family, as well as materials from the last years of his life. This allowed the character to be shown at different periods of life. His speech was also recreated separately — taking into account the changes in his voice after the surgery.
Interestingly, the film's hero and the actor himself share similar traits — including the battle with throat cancer, which, according to the director, added additional depth to the story and a "bridge" between real life and the screen. The creators emphasized that they obtained official permission from Kilmer's family to use his appearance and voice, and also paid compensation in accordance with union rules.
The actor's daughter, Mercedes Kilmer, supported the decision, noting that her father was a deeply spiritual person and genuinely wanted to participate in this project. "He always had an optimistic view of new technologies and saw them as a way to expand storytelling possibilities," she said.
