Val Kilmer is back on the big screen with the trailer for As Deep as the Grave. The almost-two-minute-long footage used artificial intelligence to recreate the actor who passed away in 2025 after a long battle with throat cancer.
Kilmer was cast as Father Fintan, a Catholic priest and Native American spiritualist, but was too ill to shoot his role. With the cooperation of his estate and his daughter, Mercedes Kilmer, the film’s team used generative AI to include the actor in the finished project.
The trailer was showcased on Wednesday at CinemaCon. The footage shows Kilmer at different ages, including as a ghost-like figure and as a younger priest.
“Don’t fear the dead and don’t fear me,” Kilmer tells a child in one scene, kneeling to look her in the eyes.
The film tells the story of Ann Axtell Morris, one of the country’s first female archaeologists, and her excavation of Canyon de Chelly in Arizona, which they said resonated strongly with the actor.
Writer-director Coerte Voorhees and producer John Voorhees said they had adopted an ethical approach to using the technology by working closely with Kilmer’s family.
Speaking at CinemaCon, Coerte Voorhees said Kilmer’s role is substantial, with the character appearing for over an hour in the film.
The filmmakers said the technology was used out of necessity and that the production followed SAG guidelines and compensated Kilmer’s estate. Archival material provided by the actor’s family was used to create the performance.
In a statement, Mercedes Kilmer said her father would have supported his inclusion in the project.
“He always looked at emerging technologies with optimism as a tool to expand the possibilities of storytelling,” she said. “This spirit is something that we are all honoring within this specific film, of which he was an integral part.”
Apart from Kilmer’s AI-generated presence, the trailer also features large-scale sequences including cliffside excavations, buffalo running across plains and a car attempting to pass through rapids.
The cast includes Abigail Lawrie, Tom Felton, Abigail Breslin, Tatanka Means, Jacob Fortune-Lloyd, Wes Studi and Finn Jones.