Plan To Recreate Val Kilmer With Generative AI In New Film Sparks Backlash

A new film featuring an AI-generated likeness of Val Kilmer as its lead “actor” is already facing a wave of backlash.

The Batman star died in April 2025 at the age of 65, 10 years after first being diagnosed with throat cancer.

Prior to his death, Kilmer had been set to star in the drama As Deep As The Grave, directed by Coerte Voorhees, as a Native American spiritualist and Catholic priest, Father Fintan.

It’s now been confirmed that Voorhees will move forward with the project with an AI likeness of Kilmer used to portray Father Fintan, with the approval of the actor’s estate and his daughter, Mercedes.

The filmmaker told Variety: “His family kept saying how important they thought the movie was and that Val really wanted to be a part of this. 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 was anticipated by Voorhees, the announcement has been met with criticism by many, even if the decision has been approved by the late performer’s family…

Many online critics have already pointed out that the rise of generative artificial intelligence has become a contentious issue in the movie industry over the last few years, with the threats being posed by AI forming a major part of what led to the Hollywood strikes of 2023.

After the SAG-AFTRA strike, actors gained some legal protections against their likenesses being recreated with AI following their deaths, but the issue has continued to come up.

Back in 2024, the film Alien: Romulus featured a digital version of the late actor Ian Holm, which was met with some controversy, while plans to recreate the voice of French actor Alain Dorval in the dub of a recent Sylvester Stallone movie were dropped when his daughter panned them as “unacceptable”.