Director Adam Marcus has reiterated his controversial remarks about the late Top Gun star Val Kilmer, after previously branding him ‘the worst human’ he’d ‘ever known’.
Marcus, 58, collaborated with Kilmer on the 2008 action-thriller Conspiracy, in which the actor portrayed William ‘Spooky’ MacPherson, a disabled Iraq War veteran.
In the film, the character travels to Arizona to visit a friend and the friend’s family, only to inadvertently uncover a corporate scheme targeting undocumented immigrants after his loved ones vanish — and those around him insist they never existed.
Kilmer starred in a long list of notable films before he died of pneumonia aged 65 on April 1, 2025. He was diagnosed with throat cancer in 2014 and, although he later recovered, the treatment left lasting damage to his vocal cords.
While tributes poured in following his death, Marcus’ memories of working with the actor were far less positive.
According to Entertainment Weekly, Marcus posted on Threads, sharing a photo of himself and Kilmer on set and alleging the experience was intensely unpleasant.
In the post, he referred to Kilmer as a ‘Putz’ and described him as the ‘worst human being I’ve ever known’, sparking criticism and prompting a backlash online.
Despite the reaction, Marcus has pushed back against those condemning him.
In a comment, the director claimed he had ‘confonted’ Kilmer multiple times over the actor’s alleged conduct, saying he had ‘never had any other experience with anyone like I had with Mr. Kilmer’.
Marcus acknowledged that “creative squabbles” can happen during filmmaking, but insisted his issues with Kilmer went well beyond the typical behind-the-scenes friction.
He also said that after speaking publicly about his experience — something he claims he has done for years — he has received extreme responses, including threats.
Marcus has maintained that he stands by his statements, arguing he has been making them for a long time but felt ignored until now.
He said: “I have been speaking about this for 19 years since we made the film. There was no ME TOO back then and so no one listened. I posted a tiny post on my personal Facebook page for my fans, a post I have put up many times over the years, and it was shared to my Threads account that I never use.”
He went on to explain that he had ‘NO IDEA the post had been shared’ to Threads — something that can occur when Meta accounts are connected — and said the situation quickly escalated into widespread ‘backlash’.
“Of course there has been backlash. There’s always backlash. And I respect anyone whose feeling were hurt by my words. For that, I am very sorry. But the irony of being bullied for calling out a bully is incredible,” he said, adding: “We live in a day and age when everyone is so angry at the world, that any chance to focus that anger on someone you disagree with feels satisfying in some awful way.”
Marcus continued: “I’ve been told to kill myself. There have been personal attacks that have included hate speech. And all of this is okay, because I said that Val was the ‘worst human being I’d ever known?’ That’s it. That’s what I said. That’s my truth. That’s my experience.
“It is also the experience of a great many people in my industry that had worked with Mr. Kilmer. And they have spoken about it in public as well. It’s what happened. I stood up then and I’ll stay standing.”
Marcus is not the only filmmaker to have publicly criticized Kilmer over the years. Joel Schumacher, who directed 1995’s Batman Forever, once described him as ‘childish and impossible’ and a ‘psychologically disturbed human being’.
John Frankenheimer, who worked with Kilmer on 1996’s The Island of Dr. Moreau (where Kilmer played Dr. Montgomery), also stated he would never work with the actor again.
Kilmer himself reflected on his past conduct in the 2021 documentary Val, where he acknowledged mistakes and complicated moments.
He said: “I have behaved poorly. I have behaved bravely. I have behaved bizarrely to some. I deny none of this and have no regrets because I have lost and found parts of myself that I never knew existed. And I am blessed.”