Val Kilmer’s voice was recreated using A.I. in Top Gun: Maverick
The actor lost his voice after treatment for throat cancer in 2014
Aux News Val Kilmer
Top Gun: Maverick soared into theaters this past Memorial Day weekend, bringing back Tom Cruise’s reckless Navy pilot Maverick, shirtless group sport activities, and Kenny Loggins’ 1980s hit “Danger Zone.” The sequel also brings back Maverick’s Top Gun rival, the blonde highlights-having Iceman (played by Val Kilmer).
Now an admiral, Iceman in Top Gun: Maverick is mostly unable to speak due to an unnamed disease, similar to Kilmer’s own loss of speech after undergoing a tracheotomy for throat cancer back in 2014. Yet, he’s able to deliver one emotionally potent line of dialogue to Maverick thanks to some advanced artificial intelligence used by the actor previously.
Back in 2021, Kilmer announced via The Wrap that he had partnered with the software company Sonantic to recreate his speaking voice in celebration of the release of his documentary, Val. Using an AI prototype and “archival footage of his voice,” Sonantic was able to craft a model of the actor’s voice via their company’s algorithms. Now for Top Gun: Maverick, the company used that similar process for Kilmer’s short moment of dialogue in the film.
“In the end, we generated more than 40 different voice models and selected the best, highest-quality, most expressive one,” said Sonantic’s CTO and co-founder John Flynn in a recent interview with Fortune. “Those new algorithms are now embedded into our voice engine, so future clients can automatically take advantage of them as well.”
For Kilmer’s case specifically, the company said its voice engine had “around 10 times less data” than other projects did, which caused it to come up with new algorithms that would provide better quality voice models for big films like Top Gun: Maverick.
“I’m grateful to the entire team at Sonantic who masterfully restored my voice in a way I’ve never imagined possible,” Kilmer said in a statement back in 2021. He added: “As human beings, the ability to communicate is the core of our existence and the side effects from throat cancer have made it difficult for others to understand me. The chance to narrate my story, in a voice that feels authentic and familiar, is an incredibly special gift.”
28 Comments
Sonantic sounds like something you take when you can’t sleep.
And, oh yeah, may I be the first to…
It’s in the first paragraph of the fucking article.
Take two Sonantics and call me when you wake up sometime next week.
Not that impressive, really. We’ve had the technology to recreate celebrate voices for ages:
Don’t hate! Recreate celebrate!
I haven’t seen the movie yet, but in this context it would work if he said, “Girl, we couldn’t get much HIGHER!”
Standards & Practices won’t like that. Would you please instead say “Girl, we couldn’t get much FINER”?
Sounds like the Byrds, man.
Turn, turn, turn me on, dead man.
“Where it says, ‘What I got, you gotta get, and put it in ya?’ How about, ‘What I’d like, is I’d like, to hug and kiss ya?’”“Hey that’s much better! Everyone can enjoy that!”
Really delighted Cruise gave Kilmer a role here. Respect to the man and the character.
Alas, Kelly McGillis didn’t get the same consideration.
I didn’t expect to be moved by this bit of news but it really is quite touching and clearly means a lot to Kilmer. It’s so sad what this guy went through.
That was a really nice moment in the film, and for Kilmer himself. I think it was really respectfully done and was a nice tribute to him.
Iceman is central to the story, even with only one scene. His protection of Maverick is clearly the only reason he wasn’t kicked out of the Navy long ago.
the whole thing was handled incredibly tastefully.
Not something you expect to hear applied to a summer blockbuster about jets going zoom zoom and missiles going boom boom, but you are definitely not wrong.Honestly got a little misty over the whole thing. Whatever this movie is (and it is incredibly stupid fun), it has reverence for the original and care for the people who made it possible.
it’s simply a movie that takes itself seriously. that allowed them to use the real-life sadness of kilmer’s situation to their advantage. it’s a bit of a wink to the audience, but it’s not a jokey wink, and because they did it with tact it works.plus you know kilmer would have been gutted if he wasn’t included, so going out of their way to build the role to his abilities gives you a double-dose of the feels.
Now that the technology exists, voice acting in animation will be automated within 10 years.
For all the creepy uses for software like this, it’s refreshing to see a positive implementation.
Science!This gets us one step closer to a new Nick Rivera album……
How silly can you get?
You think it took a real genius to recreate that voice?
Whew, for a minute seeing that headline I thought “Holy shit did Val Kilmer die? When?”
All the reviews seemed to make it sound like Val Kilmer had died, I had to double check myself!
So what will they do for Willow season 2?
Not having seen the sequel yet, I thought Val Kilmer only appeared as a bad PhotoShopped portrait. I don’t mind being spoiled, and this AI software is an interesting tool for filmmakers.
Damnit do I have to watch Top Gun now?