What to Know
There are so many discussions to be had about AI, especially in terms of using someone’s likeness in movies and other creative pursuits. To a lot of people out there, it just doesn’t sit right with them because some folks believe that it takes away jobs from deserving artists and actors. Plus, there’s the whole ethical dilemma that often comes along with AI. In a recent X post, actor Jackson Rathbone reposted an exclusive entertainment news item from Variety that showed how Val Kilmer has been “resurrected by AI” in a new movie. Val Kilmer died in April 2025, so his likeness was totally created was AI, which is not sitting well with the Twilight actor!
Jackson Rathbone has some choice words for SAG and Val Kilmer’s daughter, Mercedes.
After the whole Twilight phenomenon, it’s actually fairly rare that we hear a lot from actor, Jackson Rathbone. So, you know that when he speaks out publicly about something, he’s feeling rather passionate about it.
Jackson reposted an exclusive entertainment news announcement from Variety on X that shared how “Val Kilmer has been resurrected by AI to star in the new movie “As Deep as the Grave.”” It seems that this controversial movie news has hit a nerve with the actor.
First, Jackson decided to drag SAG-AFTRA, which is a union that represents performers and broadcasters in the United States. Jackson wrote, “Hey @sagaftra – about the strike we had.. You owe us an explanation. This is cool? WTF.” If you look at what actors and performers have gone through the past several years with all of the strikes and trying to negotiate to make things better for those who work in the entertainment industry, we totally get this stance.
Then, Jackson felt the need to drag Val Kilmer’s daughter, Mercedes. “And dude .. Mercedes .. I’m sorry for your loss, but this move begs the question.. are you sorry for your loss? Or are you capitalizing on your father’s death for your own financial gain? This is truly the MOST disgusting thing I’ve ever seen .. Get f’d .. yall are gross,” he shared on X.
Those are some strong feelings, for sure!
Variety spoke to the filmmaker and he explained that they had Val Kilmer’s daughter’s permission to create his AI likeness for the film.
Even if AI may give you a bit of an icky feeling, there’s certainly something to be said about consent here. If someone consents to their likeness being used, you may not like it, but is there really much to argue with?
According to Variety, actor Val Kilmer was cast in the movie As Deep as the Grave years before he died, but since he was battling throat cancer, he could not participate. “He was the actor I wanted to play the role,” said Coerte Voorhees, the film’s writer and director.
Even though Val didn’t make it to set to film a single scene for the movie, Voorhees has been able to realize his vision of having Kilmer in the ensemble by using state-of-the-art generative AI, Variety reported. He was also able to do so with the cooperation from the late actor’s estate and his daughter, Mercedes. Apparently, Val’s son Jack was also supportive.
The director told Variety that in the end, it was what the actor wanted. “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.”
Yeah, we’re still not fully convinced on this.
Folks online seem to be in agreement with Jackson Rathbone’s stance on AI.
In a recent Reddit post sharing Jackson’s take on this that he posted to X, there are many folks discussing on how this whole thing potentially crosses a line that a lot of us don’t feel very comfortable with.
One individual couldn’t help but point out how this type of thing could become a cash grab deal for families of actors and performers who died, but they still hope to make money off their likeness. “We need a term for the future nepo babies that dont get work off their parents name but instead use their parents likeness in AI projects as a cash cow,” they wrote. A few people throw around the word “nepcromancy” in response, which seems very creepy but fitting.
Another person in the Reddit comments brings up the very ethics around doing something like this. They wrote, “I mean, one has to wonder: did NOBODY involved think “hey, maybe we should draw the line when we reach NECROMANCY”?
One redditor is putting people on high alert if they decide support this movie. “Anyone who goes to see this is honestly a traitor to the human race. And I’m not exaggerating,” they wrote. That’s certainly taking a strong position.
Whatever your feelings are about the Kilmer family supporting this or even the filmmaker putting something like this out in the world and calling it art, now is the time to take a stand on generative AI, because down the line, we might not have much of a choice anymore.
READ NEXT: Bryan Cranston Tries To Prove His Daughter Isn’t A Nepo Baby & Backfires
