Stay up to date with notifications from The IndependentNotifications can be managed in browser preferences.Jump to contentThank you for registeringPlease refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged inAllNewsSportCultureLifestyleVal Kilmer in the 2008 film Conspiracy (Sony Pictures)Director Adam Marcus publicly criticised the late actor Val Kilmer, calling him the “worst human being” he had ever known, based on their collaboration on the 2008 film Conspiracy. Marcus stated that Kilmer “would have been cancelled in a blink” if his on-set behaviour had occurred today, dismissing the notion of not speaking ill of the dead. The director's critical posts on Threads, where he referred to Kilmer as “the Putz” have since been deleted. This is not the first time Kilmer's professional conduct has been criticised, with Marlon Brando and director John Frankenheimer also expressing negative experiences working with him. In a recent development, Kilmer's likeness was resurrected via AI for the 2026 film As Deep as the Grave, with permission from his children, after he was unable to participate due to declining health. In fullVal Kilmer director says late actor was ‘worst human being I’ve ever known’Thank you for registeringPlease refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in
Val Kilmer’s former director launches astonishing rant about late actor
Stay up to date with notifications from The IndependentNotifications can be managed in browser preferences.Jump to contentThank you for registeringPlease refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged inAllNewsSportCultureLifestyleVal Kilmer in the 2008 film Conspiracy (Sony Pictures)Director Adam Marcus publicly criticised the late actor Val Kilmer, calling him the “worst human being” he had ever known, based on their collaboration on the 2008 film Conspiracy. Marcus stated that Kilmer “would have been cancelled in a blink” if his on-set behaviour had occurred today, dismissing the notion of not speaking ill of the dead. The director's critical posts on Threads, where he referred to Kilmer as “the Putz” have since been deleted. This is not the first time Kilmer's professional conduct has been criticised, with Marlon Brando and director John Frankenheimer also expressing negative experiences working with him. In a recent development, Kilmer's likeness was resurrected via AI for the 2026 film As Deep as the Grave, with permission from his children, after he was unable to participate due to declining health. In fullVal Kilmer director says late actor was ‘worst human being I’ve ever known’Thank you for registeringPlease refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in
Director Adam Marcus called Val Kilmer the "worst human being" for on-set behavior now considered unacceptable by modern standards. AI recreation of Kilmer's likeness raises governance questions on synthetic media consent, IP rights, and entertainment tech policy.
