Val Kilmer will still be seen in a forthcoming film, due for release around a year after his death at 65.
The actor was diagnosed with throat cancer in 2014 and later spoke candidly about his illness and recovery in a memoir published in 2020.
In April last year, Kilmer’s daughter Mercedes confirmed to the New York Times that the Batman and Top Gun star died from pneumonia.
Before he died, Kilmer had been attached to the drama As Deep as the Grave, where he was set to play a significant character: a Catholic priest named Father Fintan.
The role was written with Kilmer in mind, but his health meant he ultimately couldn’t take part in production as his cancer battle continued.
Coerte Voorhees, writer and director on As Deep as the Grave, told Variety: “He was the actor I wanted to play this role. It was very much designed around him. It drew on his Native American heritage and his ties to and love of the Southwest.
“I was looking at a call sheet the other day, and we had him ready to shoot. He was just going through a really, really tough time medically, and he couldn’t do it.”
Although Kilmer didn’t film any scenes for the project, the movie will include him using generative AI—developed with the involvement and approval of his family.
Voorhees continued: “His family kept saying how important they thought the movie was and that Val really wanted to be a part of this. 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.”
The film is based on a true story and centres on archaeologists Ann and Earl Morris as they examine Navajo history in Arizona’s Canyon de Chelly.
Abigail Lawrie and Tom Felton are part of the cast, alongside appearances from Wes Studi and Abigail Breslin.
Producer John Voorhees also highlighted another detail linking Kilmer to the part: “The character in the film also suffers from tuberculosis. Again, this historical character mirrored Val’s actual condition when he was suffering from throat cancer.
“And so when it comes to the voice this is a really unique opportunity for the character to reflect the condition that the actor was actually suffering from, thus creating a kind of a bridge.”