The debut trailer for As Deep as the Grave has sparked major conversation, not only for its sweeping historical drama but for the remarkable way it brings one of Hollywood’s most beloved actors back to the screen. At the center of that conversation is Val Kilmer, who died in 2025 after battling throat cancer. Kilmer had been cast as Father Fintan, a Catholic priest and Native American spiritualist, but his illness prevented him from filming the role.

Now, with the first look at As Deep as the Grave, filmmakers are revealing how they completed that vision, offering fans a powerful final performance that sets the stage for one of the film’s most talked-about elements.

The first trailer for As Deep as the Grave introduces viewers to an ambitious historical epic while unveiling the AI-assisted recreation of Val Kilmer as Father Fintan. The footage, first shown at CinemaCon, features Kilmer appearing at various stages of life, from an older, ghostly figure to a much younger priest, marking one of the most significant uses of generative AI in a feature film to date. According to writer-director Coerte Voorhees, the role was always meant for Kilmer, making the effort to preserve his presence central to the production.

“It was very much designed around him,” Coerte Voorhees told Variety. “It drew on his Native American heritage and his ties to and love of the Southwest…His family kept saying how important they thought the movie was and that Val really wanted to be a part of this.”

Working closely with Mercedes Kilmer and the late actor’s estate, the production team relied on archived footage and generative AI tools to complete Val Kilmer’s role, while adhering to union protocols and ensuring his estate was properly compensated. The result is a role that reportedly spans over an hour of screen time, making Kilmer’s presence not just a cameo but a major emotional pillar of the film.

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And for longtime fans, the emotional weight of seeing Kilmer on screen again recalls another unforgettable late-career performance, one that reunited him with one of Hollywood’s biggest stars in a scene audiences are still talking about.

Before As Deep as the Grave gave audiences another chance to see Val Kilmer on screen, his final on-camera moment with Tom Cruise in Top Gun: Maverick had already become one of the most emotional scenes in recent blockbuster history. Speaking during a 2023 appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live!, Cruise admitted that filming the reunion between Maverick and Iceman deeply affected him.

“I was crying,” he said, recalling the scene where Kilmer’s ailing Iceman shares one final exchange with Maverick. It was a moment that resonated beyond the story itself, reflecting Kilmer’s real-life health struggles and adding an authenticity that audiences instantly felt.

Val Kilmer’s battle with throat cancer gave the scene an emotional truth that elevated it far beyond nostalgia. Cruise later described how quickly Kilmer slipped back into the role, making it feel as though decades had never passed. That brief reunion became the emotional centerpiece of Top Gun: Maverick, reminding audiences of the connection the two actors built since the original Top Gun.

The use of AI in As Deep as the Grave is likely to stir debate across Hollywood, but for many viewers, the first trailer offers something more immediate: the chance to witness Val Kilmer one more time in a role that clearly meant something to him.

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Do you think AI-assisted performances like Val Kilmer’s in As Deep as the Grave honor an actor’s legacy? Let us know in the comments!