R.I.P. Val Kilmer ...

"Real Genius" - one of my favorite Val Kilmer flicks!

"Top Gun", "The Doors", "Tombstone", and "Batman Forever"

 

For nearly 10 years prior to filming production of Oliver Stone's "The Doors", the project went through development hell after being considered by many studios and directors. Several actors, including Tom Cruise, Johnny Depp, Timothy Hutton, Steven Bauer, Gregory Harrison, Christopher Lambert, Michael Ontkean, Jason Patric, John Travolta and Richard Gere, were each considered for the role of Morrison when the project was still in development over the years, with Bono of U2 and Michael Hutchence of INXS also expressing interest in the role. Stone initially offered the role to Ian Astbury of the Cult, who declined the role because he was not happy with the way Morrison was going to be represented in the film. When Stone began talking about the project in 1988, he had Val Kilmer in mind to play Morrison, after seeing him in the Ron Howard fantasy film Willow. Kilmer had the same kind of singing voice as Morrison and, to convince Stone that he was right for the role, spent several thousand dollars of his own money and made his own eight-minute audition video, singing and looking like Morrison at various stages of his life. To prepare for the role, Kilmer lost weight and spent six months rehearsing Doors songs every day; the actor learned 50 songs, 15 of which are actually performed in the film. Kilmer also spent hundreds of hours with the Doors' producer Paul A. Rothchild, who related "anecdotes, stories, tragic moments, humorous moments, how Jim thought ... interpretation of Jim's lyrics". Rothchild also took Kilmer into the studio and helped him with "some pronunciations, idiomatic things that Jim would do that made the song sound like Jim". Kilmer also met with Krieger and Densmore but Manzarek refused to talk to him. When the Doors heard Kilmer singing they could not tell whether the voice was Kilmer's or Morrison's

 

"Top Secret"

"Willow"

 

"Batman Forever"

 

 

"The Doors"

"Tombstone"

"Heat"