A year after Val Kilmer’s death, his digital ghost haunts the screen in As Deep as the Grave . The indie film’s trailer dropped at CinemaCon on April 15, showing an AI-generated Kilmer as Father Fintan, a priest blending Catholic rites with Native American spirituality. Archival footage, photos, and voice recordings trained the models. Once assets load, shots render in minutes. Kilmer’s family approved. Yet questions linger. This feels like a threshold moment. A person’s likeness outlives them as an asset. Filmmakers defend the choice. Director Christopher Voorhees realized his vision without Kilmer shooting a frame, thanks to generative AI. The actor appears in a significant part—77 minutes of the runtime. Variety called it resurrection. Today.com noted the AI version’s seamless cadence. But critics brand it terrifying. Consent from the deceased? Family sign-off suffices now. Hollywood watches closely.…