Val Kilmer AI Film Faces Online Backlash
by Mychal ThompsonBuzzFeedBuzzFeed StaffIf you must know, I based my entire personality on Seasons 2-5 of "Girls," and I'm a huge gamer.
Late actor Val Kilmer is apparently set to appear in a movie thanks to artificial intelligence, and the internet seems quite unsettled by it all.
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In a March 18 interview with Variety, the film's writer and director, Coerte Voorhees, shared his intention behind using state-of-the-art generative AI to keep Kilmer in the movie.
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On April 1, 2025, Kilmer, known for movies like Top Gun and Batman Forever, died of pneumonia at age 65. In 2015, he was diagnosed with throat cancer.
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Around 2020, Kilmer was cast as Father Fintan, a Catholic priest, in As Deep as the Grave, but he never went to set due to cancer. The scenes featuring his character were originally cut, but Voorhees admitted there was "a major missing element."
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"Normally we would just recast an actor. I'm all about working with our actors, and we have brilliant performances all throughout this movie," Voorhees said. "But we can't roll camera again. We don't have the budget. We're not a big studio film. So we had to think of innovative ways to do it. And we realized the technology is there for us."
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When it comes to AI in art and entertainment, there's been a lot of criticism over ethics and what it'll mean for creatives' job security and ownership of their works and likeness. The production of As Deep as the Grave aims to be an example of how it can legitimately work by adhering to SAG guidelines and working directly with Kilmer's estate.
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"His family kept saying how important they thought the movie was and that Val really wanted to be a part of this," the film's director added. "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."
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Of Kilmer's family, his daughter, Mercedes, expressed support for her father's likeness in the film. "He always looked at emerging technologies with optimism as a tool to expand the possibilities of storytelling," she said in a statement obtained by Variety. "This spirit is something that we are all honoring within this specific film, of which he was an integral part."
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In response to Val Kilmer's likeness in the movie, people had a lot to say about the ethics and whether it's worth it.
"I do not care how much permission they had to do this, no one should be allowed to do this. It should be illegal to resurrect the visage of dead people with genAI imo," one person wrote.
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"I know his daughter signed off but the choice to put his face on AI so entirely misses the point. 'He was the actor I wanted to play this role,' the director said. But the POINT of an actor playing a role is the CHOICES they'd make. Val can make none," someone else wrote.
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In a viral X post with over 55K likes, one person explained how, after Philip Seymour Hoffman died before finishing his scenes for The Hunger Games: Mockingjay — Part 2, they ultimately decided against using a CGI version of him. Instead, they adjusted the script.
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Others found the use of AI for Kilmer "horrifying" and a form of exploitation that shouldn't become the norm.
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"This is a complete lack of respect for human life and identity. Life is fragile and irreplaceable. Exploiting someone’s image after death like this reduces them to a tool. Loss should remain loss. That’s how we honor its meaning and value of that life," one person wrote.
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"make no mistake, this is a cynical act of cost-cutting and viral marketing that we cannot let ourselves accept. let the dead rest," another person wrote.
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This person wrote, "I fear that if we don't vehemently oppose this now, then it will become the norm for all future media..."
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"we have reduced a person’s being into merely their appearance on a screen. technology has truly sucked the soul out of humanity," someone else added.
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And finally...
This person said, "If the actor themselves was okay with this use before they passed I don’t see a problem with it from a moral standpoint (although I have a feeling it won’t be nearly as effective as a real actor) assuming their estate is appropriately compensated. That said, kinda weird that death is no longer a reprieve from work."
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Check out a first look at the generative AI Val Kilmer in As Deep as the Grave here.
What are your thoughts? Share in the comments.
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