00:00A year after Val Kilmer's death, the actor is set to posthumously star in the independent film As Deep as
00:06the Grave
00:07through a generative AI digital replica, marking one of the boldest and most high-profile uses of artificial intelligence in
00:15moviemaking to date.
00:17Kilmer had originally signed on to play Father Fenton, a Catholic priest and Native American spiritualist,
00:23but was unable to film due to his declining health before passing away last April at 65 from pneumonia.
00:31His estate and daughter Mercedes Kilmer gave permission for the digital replication and are being compensated,
00:37with Mercedes saying the project honors her father's lifelong optimism about emerging technology as a tool for storytelling.
00:45The production claims it followed SAG-AFTRA guidelines on digital replicas,
00:50positioning itself as a model for how to ethically use AI to bring deceased performers back to the screen,
00:56a question Hollywood is increasingly being forced to confront.
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