Val Kilmer Doc from Amazon Studios, A24 Gets First Trailer Before Cannes Premiere

Since revealing his two-year battle with throat cancer in 2017—during which he received two tracheotomies, hindering his voice to the point where he now needs a voice box to speak—actor Val Kilmer had stepped away from the spotlight. But now, with the use of old home video footage and narration from his son, Jack, the prolific actor tells the story of his life in the upcoming documentary Val, set to premiere at Cannes on July 7.

Produced by A24 and released by Amazon Studios, the documentary amasses hundreds of hours of footage Kilmer shot while growing up with his two brothers, and that he continued to film during his time at Julliard, with his two sons and former wife Joanne Whalley, and well into his acting career (some clips during the doc reveal the fresh-faced visages of young Sean Penn and Kevin Bacon). Behind-the-scenes film footage in the doc includes Batman Forever, Tombstone, Top Gun and the infamously disastrous The Island of Dr. Moreau.

The plagued production of this latter film was in part due to Kilmer’s behavior, which would build him a reputation as being difficult to work with, and Kilmer himself owns up to his past conduct during the doc—there is even a clip of a heated exchange Kilmer filmed between himself and Moreau director John Frankenheimer.

The film is set for a limited release in theaters on July 23, then for a streaming release on Prime Video on August 6. Kilmer is also set to appear in the upcoming Top Gun sequel, Top Gun: Maverick, due for a fall theatrical release.

Check out the trailer for Val below: