Val Kilmer's Posthumous AI Role in As Deep as the Grave

First Line Films announced on March 18, 2026 that their historical epic As Deep as the Grave will feature Val Kilmer in what they describe as the first posthumous AI performance in cinema. Kilmer, who died on April 1, 2025 at the age of 65 from pneumonia, had been cast in the film years before his passing. The project is currently being presented to international buyers at the European Film Market in Berlin.

A Role That Resonated With Kilmer Personally

Kilmer joined the production five years ago, cast as Father Fintan, a Catholic priest and Native American spiritualist who was a historical figure at the San Juan Mission in Farmington, New Mexico. He cited his own part Native American heritage and deep connection to the American Southwest as reasons the role spoke to him.

Director Coerte Voorhees recalled: "When Val came onboard the project five years ago, he immediately identified with the historical southwestern spiritual character of Father Fintan, and understood the importance of elevating awareness of Ann Morris's incredible story as the first female archaeologist in North America."

Father Fintan serves as a healing figure for the film's protagonist, archaeologist Ann Axtell Morris. The two characters share knowledge of the possible secret location of a mythical lost city of the Ancestral Puebloans in the Chuska mountains on the Arizona/New Mexico border.

Generative AI, Done With the Family's Blessing

Kilmer was unable to film due to his deteriorating health. The production spent three years completing the film after he passed. The AI recreation was developed entirely in collaboration with his estate and his daughter Mercedes Kilmer, who is actively working with the production.

"My father was a deeply spiritual man and this story of discovery and enlightenment in the American Southwest and his unique role in it really resonated with him," Mercedes said. "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."

Voorhees added: "It was very unfortunate that his health at the time prevented him from playing this role which spoke to him spiritually and culturally. 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."

Under California's AB 1836, which took effect on January 1, 2026, productions must obtain estate consent before creating AI generated likenesses of deceased performers. California's digital replica law governs exactly this type of use. The production's collaboration with Mercedes Kilmer places it within those requirements.

A Cast Built Around an Untold Story

As Deep as the Grave, retitled from its earlier working title Canyon of the Dead, is an action adventure film based on the true story of southwestern archaeologists Ann and Earl Morris. It covers their excavations in Canyon de Chelly, Arizona and the history of the Navajo people.

BAFTA winner Abigail Lawrie (Tin Star) stars as Ann Morris, opposite Tom Felton (Harry Potter) as Earl Morris. The supporting cast includes Academy Award winner Wes Studi, Academy Award nominee Abigail Breslin as noted aviator and author Anne Morrow Lindbergh, alongside Hanako Footman, Ewen Bremner, Tatanka Means, Finn Jones, and Jacob Fortune-Lloyd.

Coerte Voorhees wrote, directed, and produced the film through First Line Films, the New Mexico company he founded in 2016 with his brother John following their work on The First Line for Netflix. The company specializes in true stories centering on women lost to history.

Filmed on Navajo Land

The Navajo Nation served as a producing partner on the film and facilitated access to its land. The National Park Service arranged filming at the real archaeological sites of Canyon de Chelly and across the Four Corners region, giving the production an unusual degree of authenticity for a project of this scale.

Kilmer's connection to New Mexico was well established before the film. He maintained a ranch in the state for many years, a reflection of the same cultural and geographic ties he described when accepting the role.

Heading to International Buyers

As Deep as the Grave is being shopped at the European Film Market in Berlin, one of the largest film trade events in the world, running alongside the Berlinale. The production is targeting a 2026 release and is out to distributors now.

The March 18, 2026 announcement marks the first time a production company has publicly confirmed using generative AI to recreate a deceased performer's likeness in a theatrical feature. The debate over AI performers in Hollywood has centered mainly on synthetic characters and unauthorized replicas. This case differs: Kilmer personally signed on to the role before his death, and his family provided consent for the AI process.

Filmmakers working on original productions can access state of the art video generation models through AI FILMS Studio.

Sources

Flickering Myth | GeekTyrant | Golem.de | The Guardian | Snopes | First Line Films