ENTERTAINMENTVal Kilmer Was the 'Worst Human Being I've Ever Known,' Claims 'Conspiracy' Director
Adam Marcus labeled Val Kilmer a ‘putz.’
June 2 2026, Updated 3:19 p.m. ET
Director Adam Marcus called Val Kilmer the "worst human being I've ever known" in a social media post published on Threads.
Under a "#MicroIntellectMonday" hashtag, Marcus shared a photo from the set of their 2008 film Conspiracy.
He explicitly labeled Kilmer a "putz" and stated that if the Top Gun star had behaved today the way he did on that set, "he would have been canceled in a blink."
Adam Marcus claimed Val Kilmer would have been ‘canceled’ if he acted the same way on set today.
"Here’s me and the Putz working it out on the set of Conspiracy. So yeah, that happened,” he wrote.
Following public backlash, Marcus subsequently deleted the posts.
Marcus is historically best known for directing the slasher film Jason Goes to H---: The Final Friday at the young age of 23.
‘He Would Have Been Canceled in a Blink’
Val Kilmer died from pneumonia at age 65 in April 2025.
The timing of the comments sparked significant criticism from fans, as Kilmer passed away from pneumonia at the age of 65 a year prior on April 1, 2025.
“And to any of you rolling your eyes because of the whole ‘don’t speak ill of the dead bulls---,’ f--- that,” he said. “[If] this guy did one-tenth of what he did on my set today, he would have been canceled in a blink.”
“Worst human being I’ve ever known … and that is really saying something,” Marcus finished.
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‘Worst human being I’ve ever known … and that is really saying something,’ the director declared of Val Kilmer.
Marcus’ comments align with a long-running, well-documented history of directors finding Kilmer incredibly difficult to work with early in his career.
Joel Schumacher, the director of Batman Forever, previously labeled Kilmer "childish and impossible."
John Frankenheimer, the director of The Island of Dr. Moreau, famously stated that he would never work with the actor again.
Val Kilmer Was ‘Careless’ About How He Viewed His ‘Business’
Several directors refused to work with Val Kilmer after their experiences with him on set.
Kilmer addressed these specific reputational challenges in his 2020 memoir, I'm Your Huckleberry, and his 2021 autobiographical documentary, Val, acknowledging that he was often "careless" about his professional relationships in Hollywood.
Kilmer addressed those criticisms in a 2003 interview with Rolling Stone.
“I’ve been careless about how I viewed my business. But I trust that the truth is the truth and a lie is a lie,” Kilmer, who was diagnosed with throat cancer in 2014, said. “Frankenheimer, bless him, he passed on, but he had a history of being mean about people.”
Val Kilmer admitted to behaving poorly in Hollywood.
In the 2021 documentary Val, a reflection on the actor’s life and career, The Doors actor discussed his behavior.
“I have behaved poorly. I have behaved bravely. I have behaved bizarrely to some,” said Kilmer. “I deny none of this and have no regrets because I have lost and found parts of myself that I never knew existed. And I am blessed.”
