Several years prior to his passing last April, Val Kilmer had signed on to appear in the cast of Canyon of the Dead (a.k.a. Canyon Del Muerto), an action-adventure film inspired by the true story of Ann and Earl Morris, archaeologists who helped to discover one of North America’s earliest civilisations, the Anasazi Basketmakers.
Well, it seems Kilmer will indeed appear in the now completed project, to an extent, as AI technology has been used to recreate the late Top Gun star in the film, which is written and directed by Coerte Voorhees (The First Line). Kilmer’s inclusion in the film is said to come with the full blessing of his family.
UPDATE (March 18th): The story has finally been confirmed, via an “exclusive” from Variety, who also has a first look at the AI Kilmer as well as news that the film has been retitled As Deep as the Grave…
This isn’t the first time AI technology has been used with Kilmer, the actor having previously worked with voice-AI company Sonantic to create a synthetic version of his voice for his appearance in Top Gun: Maverick. That was, of course, before his passing however.
The AI-created Kilmer features in the cast of Canyon of the Dead alongside Abigail Lawrie, Tom Felton, Abigail Breslin, Jacob Fortune-Lloyd, Ewen Bremner, Wes Studi, Finn Jones, Bronson Webb.
The film is currently being presented to buyers at the European Film Market, with the following poster and first-look images also released. As yet, there’s no first look at Kilmer online (although he is featured in the film’s sales trailer which is being shown at EFM this weekend)…
What are your thoughts on Val Kilmer’s inclusion in Canyon of the Dead? Let us know on our social channels @FlickeringMyth…
Originally published February 12, 2026. Updated March 18, 2026.
