Val Kilmer will appear on the movie screen one last time.
Less than a year after his death, the Top Gun alum’s loved ones have spoken out about their reactions to his posthumous role in the new film As Deep as the Grave. Five years before her death, Val had signed a contract to appear in a film, but was unable to participate in filming due to her unwell health during her battle with cancer.
Her daughter Mercedes Kilmer confirmed to Variety that her family is supportive of the decision by the film team, including writer and director Corte Voorhees, to utilize generative artificial intelligence (AI) to bring Val into the film.
Val, who said she has Cherokee ancestry, will play Father Fintan, a Catholic priest and Native American spiritualist whose story of “discovery and enlightenment” resonated with her father, whom Mercedes described as “a man of deep spirituality.”
“He was always optimistic about emerging technologies as tools to expand the possibilities of storytelling,” added Mercedes, one of Val’s two children with ex-wife Joan Walley. “That spirit is something we all respect in this particular film, and he was an integral part of that film.”
