Sigh, Here’s Your First Look at AI-Resurrected Val Kilmer in As Deep as the Grave

Start your day with unspeakable horrors by gazing on the AI-resurrected form of Val Kilmer. The first look image comes from a film with an unfortunately on-the-nose title, As Deep as the Grave.

Kilmer had signed on to the movie five years before his death, though his battle with throat cancer, and then COVID-19, prevented the start of filming. It is based on a true story, and from the beginning of the process, writer and director Coerte Voorhees envisioned Kilmer in the role of Father Fintan, a Catholic priest and Native American spiritualist.

“He was the actor I wanted to play this role,” Voorhees told Variety. “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.”

Voorhees added that the Kilmer family is fully supportive of AI completing the role.

“His family kept saying how important they thought the movie was and that Val really wanted to be a part of this,” Voorhees said. “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 stars Abigail Lawrie (Tin Star) and Tom Felton (Draco Malfoy in the Harry Potter films), as well as Abigail Breslin and Wes Studi. The AI rendition of Kilmer appears in a “significant part” of the finished film.

As Voorhees hinted at, this kind of thing is definitely “controversial,” and I might even go so far as to call it “stomach-churning.” But Pandora’s Box is open, so look for more desecrations of the flesh coming soon to a theater near you. And if you miss Kilmer’s human performances, maybe check out our list of his 11 most iconic roles.