AI-rendered version of late actor Val Kilmer set to star in new film

Whether artificial intelligence will play a major role in Hollywood is a highly contentious question — one that became less speculative after a recently deceased actor “signed on” to appear in a new film via generative AI, The Associated Press reported.

Val Kilmer was 65 when he died in April 2025, and on Wednesday, First Line Films announced his role in the upcoming film “As Deep as the Grave.”

According to AP, Kilmer’s estate approved the new role, and the actor had “signed on” to appear in the film before health constraints limited his participation.

AI adoption has been controversial across several sectors, but the film industry, in particular, has been wary of the technology.

Actor Morgan Freeman lambasted AI imitators in an interview, whereas Matthew McConaughey was forced to trademark himself to protect his image and voice. Filmmaker Guillermo del Toro bluntly said he’d “rather die” than use generative AI in his films.

At the time of Kilmer’s death, public opinion about AI had only just begun to deteriorate, a process that continued throughout 2025.

Initially, towns near data centers — the large, resource-hungry facilities needed to power AI — raised objections about the constant noise and pollution they generate.

Not long after that, however, the nuisance factor spread beyond their immediate vicinity in the form of high electric bills nationwide. In addition to the short-term problem of unaffordable energy costs and utility arrears, officials warned that the public grid was reaching capacity.

New technologies are often described as “disruptive,” and AI integration was arguably the most seismic for creative industries; novelists were among the first to object to tech companies’ use of their published material for training models without permission or compensation.

The AP reported that Kilmer’s estate would be compensated for the use of his likeness, but the article didn’t state that the late actor himself ever explicitly agreed to continue acting after his death.

Kilmer’s daughter, Mercedes Kilmer, speculated that her father would have approved of the project.

“He always looked at emerging technologies with optimism as a tool to expand the possibilities of storytelling. This spirit is something that we are all honoring within this specific film, of which he was an integral part,” she said in a statement.

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