Val trailer goes deep on the life and times of Val Kilmer

Val Kilmer is returning to the big screen as the subject of Val, an in-depth documentary about the charismatic star of blockbusters like Top Gun, Tombstone, and Batman Forever. Ahead of the doc's premiere at the Cannes Film Festival, Amazon has released the first trailer for the A24-produced project.

Chronicling more than 40 years of Kilmer's unique career, the film utilizes thousands of hours of footage the actor shot himself, including behind-the-scenes material from the sets of his many movies.

Directed by Leo Scott and Ting Poo, Val also captures the more recent difficulties Kilmer has faced. As seen in the trailer, Kilmer now has difficulty speaking after a battle with throat cancer and subsequent tracheotomy.

The film promises to capture the full scope of the actor's life, from the 16 mm home movies he and his brothers shot as kids, through the extremes that came at the peak of his acting career, to how he maintains his artistic vision now.

At one point in the trailer, Kilmer says, "I spent decades finding my voice through characters, through movies."

Val hits theaters July 23 and Amazon Prime Video on Aug. 6. Watch the new trailer above.

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• Val Kilmer recalls partying, pranking Tom Cruise on Top Gun set in new memoir