Adam Marcus condemned Val Kilmer’s behavior during the filming of the 2008 direct-to-DVD film Conspiracy, calling the actor “the worst human being I’ve ever known.”
Val Kilmer to star in ‘As Deep as the Grave’ via AI posthumously
One year after Val Kilmer’s death, the actor will posthumously star in the film As Deep as the Grave via a generative AI digital replica.
cheddar
One director doesn’t look back fondly on his time working with Val Kilmer.
In a now-deleted thread, director and screenwriter Adam Marcus, known for his work in horror films, appeared to suggest that the late actor behaved badly on the set of the 2008 thriller Conspiracy.
According to Entertainment Weekly, Marcus wrote on Sunday, May 31, alongside a photo of the director and actor together, “#MicroIntellectMonday To the day I directed that guy. The guy that played Iceman and Doc Holliday (sic).” “You know, this is me and Putz working on the set of Conspiracy.”
Marcus also pre-emptively addressed the backlash against “mouthing the dead”, adding that if Kilmer “had only done a tenth of what I did on my set today, it would have been canceled immediately.”
“He’s the worst human being I’ve ever known…and that’s really saying something,” the “Jason Goes to Hell” director continued, according to the outlet.
The post doesn’t seem to appear on his thread page anymore. USA TODAY has reached out to Marcus and Kilmer’s representatives for comment.
Kilmer starred as disabled Special Forces veteran William “Spooky” McPherson in the critically acclaimed direct-to-DVD film, opposite Jennifer Esposito and Gary Cole. The film has a 19% rating on Rotten Tomatoes’ Popcornmeter, while Richard Roeper of Ebert & Roeper called it “beyond scary” and “shockingly bad.”
Six years after the film’s release, Kilmer was diagnosed with throat cancer. He later recovered. The actor has spent much of the past decade publicly battling the disease, permanently losing his voice after a tracheotomy, but continued to act and write.
Mr. Kilmer passed away in April 2025 at the age of 65 from pneumonia.
Val Kilmer admits to ‘misbehaving’ and ‘strange’ behavior
In the intimate 2021 documentary Val, Kilmer culled from hundreds of hours of personal home footage to reflect on his ups and downs. The documentary was narrated by the actor’s son Jack.
Towards the end of “Val,” Kilmer reflected on his accomplishments and ultimately said he felt “blessed.”
“I misbehaved,” Kilmer said in the documentary. “I’ve acted bravely. I’ve acted strangely to some people. I don’t deny any of that, and I don’t regret any of it, because I’ve lost and discovered parts of myself that I didn’t know existed.”
Contributed by Brian Alexander and Patrick Ryan, USA TODAY
