Val Kilmer’s Conspiracy director is not worried about speaking ill of the dead.
Adam Marcus directed the late actor in the 2008 action thriller that followed a wounded Marine (Kilmer) who discovers a corporate conspiracy designed to run illegal aliens out of an Arizona border town.
“#MicroIntellectMonday to that time when I directed that guy. The guy who played Iceman and Doc Holiday. You know the one,” Marcus wrote on Threads, according to Entertainment Weekly. “Here’s me and the Putz working it out on the set of Conspiracy. So yeah, that happened.”
Marcus was quick to pre-empt criticism of him speaking negatively about Kilmer, who died from pneumonia on April 1, following years of health issues related to throat cancer and its treatment.
“And to any of you rolling your eyes because of the whole ‘don’t speak ill of the dead bulls***,’ f*** that,” he said. “[If] this guy did one-tenth of what he did on my set today, he would have been cancelled in a blink.”
“Worst human being I’ve ever known… and that is really saying something,” Marcus finished.
Marcus’s posts have since been deleted.
The Independent has contacted Kilmer’s former manager for comment.
Conspiracy also starred Gary Cole and Jennifer Esposito and received overwhelmingly negative reviews.
It’s not the first time Kilmer’s collaborators have publicly criticized their experience of working with him. Marlon Brando reportedly threw Kilmer’s phone in a bush and told him that he’d confused the size of his salary with the size of his talent while working on The Island of Dr Moreau (1996).
“I don’t like Val Kilmer, I don’t like his work ethic, and I don’t want to be associated with him ever again,” said that film’s director John Frankenheimer at the time of the movie’s release.
Kilmer recently appeared in a 2026 film that resurrected his likeness via AI.
Brothers Coerte and John Voorhees confirmed they secured permission from Kilmer’s children to utilize AI for his role in As Deep as the Grave, a narrative exploring archaeologists’ delve into Navajo history in New Mexico. Their method involved leveraging archival footage, photographs, and voice recordings to craft the digital portrayal.
Coerte Voorhees, the film’s writer and director, expressed confidence at CinemaCon this year, stating, “We are 100 per cent confident it’s really the right move with this specific film, and we’re really, really looking forward to everyone being able to judge it for themselves.”
Kilmer, celebrated for his roles in the Top Gun franchise, had initially committed to As Deep as the Grave years prior but was unable to participate in filming due to declining health.
They claim to have adhered to all AI guidelines established by the SAG-AFTRA actors union. John Voorhees emphasized, “We’re making a bold claim, (a) bold statement, which is that we believe we’re doing this in an ethical way,” adding that Kilmer’s estate not only consented but also “collaborated artistically.”
