Val Kilmer Died Before Filming a Single Scene, So AI Allowed Him to Become the Star of a New Movie

Months before Val Kilmer passed away in 2025, director Coerte Voorhees was staring at a call sheet with Kilmer's name on it, knowing the actor he built an entire role around would never make it to set. Kilmer was cast as Father Fintan — a Catholic priest and Native American spiritualist — in the indie film As Deep as the Grave, but his battle with throat cancer made filming impossible. Rather than recast the role, Voorhees turned to generative AI to bring his original vision to life.

Director...