Fans are reacting strongly to the news of Val Kilmer returning to the screen without ever stepping on the set.
An artificial intelligence version of the actor, who died last year, will star in the new independent film “As Deep as the Grave.” Kilmer was cast in the role of Father Fintan before his death but wasn’t able to do any filming because of his battle with throat cancer. And, for many, the announcement isn’t good news.
“He was the actor I wanted to play this role,” writer and director Coerte Voorhees told Variety this week. “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.”
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Many fans had negative reactions to the news.
“Did he say he was cool with this kinda thing before he died? If not, probably a gross thing to do,” one person wrote on X.
Another said if it was just a “quick cameo” like Paul Walker in “Furious 7” after his death, that would be “fine,” but “if it’s an actual role with speaking parts, then what is the actual use of acting?”
A third commenter wrote, “In Hollywood, when you die, they resurrect you with AI and force you to keep working.”
“I do not care how much permission they had to do this, no one should be allowed to do this,” a fourth said. “It should be illegal to resurrect the visage of dead people with genAI imo.”
Someone else wrote, “No amount of moral dressing is going to change how sick and greedy this is. the family should be ashamed tbh.”
“This is difficult,” another person posted. “If Val wanted this, and desired to go with ‘one final hurray’, maybe it is acceptable. (When Oliver Reed died during Gladiator, they used a body double + light CGI to finish his scenes) But, when this becomes the norm…”
Still, some fans were supportive of the idea.
“Was about to come sh** on this, but apparently he and his daughter were close. would be nice to see someone you’ve lost on the big screen, though I wonder if it’ll feel like the real Kilmer,” one person wrote.
“People are going to disagree, but as long as he himself wanted it and his own family gave the greenlight, everyone else should shut up,” another said.
Voorhees said the AI version of Kilmer’s character was made with the support of his estate and family, who were compensated.
“His family kept saying how important they thought the movie was and that Val really wanted to be a part of this,” Voorhees shared. “He really thought it was an important story that he wanted his name on. It was that support that gave me the confidence to say, ‘OK, let’s do this.’ Despite the fact some people might call it controversial, this is what Val wanted.”
The AI version of Kilmer was created using images of the actor when he was younger, film of him in his last years and his voice.
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Kilmer will appear in a “significant part” of the film, which also stars Abigail Lawrie, Tom Felton, Wes Studi and Abigail Breslin.
“It was very unfortunate that his health at the time prevented him from playing this role which spoke to him spiritually and culturally,” Voorhees said, according to The Associated Press. “We are honored to collaborate with his daughter Mercedes, who brings her own filmmaking experience, to bring this character to life in the way that we had all originally imagined it.”
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On the IMDb page for the film, Kilmer’s role is credited to a “digital performer,” specifying that it is an “AI performance as Val Kilmer.”
“As Deep as the Grave” is based on a true story about two archaeologists’ excavations in Arizona’s Canyon of the Dead.
Voorhees said that, at one point, scenes involving Kilmer’s character were cut for budget reasons, but they later realized Father Fintan was a “major missing element.”
“Normally, we would just recast an actor,” he said. “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 realized the technology is there for us.”
Despite the controversies surrounding the use of AI in film, Kilmer’s daughter, Mercedes Kilmer, said she believes her father would have been supportive of it in this case.
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“He always looked at emerging technologies with optimism as a tool to expand the possibilities of storytelling,” she said in a statement. “This spirit is something that we are all honoring within this specific film, of which he was an integral part.”
Voorhees stressed that he also followed SAG-AFTRA’s regulations for the use of AI in film.
“Consent not obtained before death must be obtained from an authorized representative or the union,” the rules state.
Voorhees and his brother, producer John Voorhees, told The Associated Press, “We believe we are serving as a demonstrator for how to do it ethically and correctly, especially in the case of working with a deceased actor’s estate and family.”
Kilmer’s voice was also digitally altered for his role in 2022’s “Top Gun: Maverick” after his tracheotomies.
Kilmer died at age 65 last April of pneumonia after his cancer battle.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
