Movies

Director Coerte Voorhees used AI to create a performance from the late Val Kilmer for his upcoming movie.

A posthumous performance from Val Kilmer is forcing the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to rethink the rules for the Oscars. 

AI Val Kilmer to star in ‘As Deep as the Grave’ 

Before his death in April 2025, Kilmer had been cast in the movie As Deep as the Grave. Though he was unable to film any scenes for the film, he’ll still appear onscreen, thanks to some AI wizardry. 

Kilmer was set to play Father Fintan, a Catholic priest and Native American spiritualist, in he movie about an archaeological expedition in Arizona’s Canyon de Chelly. Rather than recast following the Top Gun star’s death (which would have been prohibitively expensive for the indie production), director Coerte Voorhees, opted to use technology to create his performance, with the blessing of the late actor’s daughter, Mercedes, and his estate. 

“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 … 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,” he continued. “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.”

This isn’t the first time that Kilmer has been attached to an AI-project. The technology was used to recreate his speaking voice, which had been damaged by throat cancer, for his appearance in 2022’s Top Gun: Maverick. At the time, he called it “an incredibly special gift.”

Oscars bans AI performances and screenplays 

While filmmakers like Voorhees are embracing the use of AI in movies, many in the industry are cautious and concerned. Not long after footage of the artificially-generated Kilmer was seen at CinemaCon 2026, the Academy announced new rules regarding AI for the Oscars. 

When it comes to acting awards, “only roles credited in the film’s legal billing and demonstrably performed by humans with their consent will be considered eligible,” the Academy declared. In addition, “screenplays must be human-authored to be eligible.” The Academy also “reserves the right to request more information about the nature of the use and human authorship” for eligible films.

“Humans have to be at the center of the creative process,” said academy president Lynette Howell Taylor, according to NBC Los Angeles. “As AI continues to evolve, our conversations around AI will do so along with that. But for the academy, we are always going to put human authorship at the center of our awards eligibility process.”

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