Kaylee Hottle's final film, What Doesn't Kill Us, will move forward with her sister, Jasmine Hottle. Her sibling steps into the role the young actress was preparing to play before her death. The decision comes nearly four months after the Godzilla vs. Kong star died in a car accident at just 18 years old.
Jasmine, who is hearing impaired just like Kaylee, will join the upcoming superhero film, which features actors with disabilities. Writer Adam Mingo confirmed the casting decision, explaining that Jasmine's involvement offers the filmmakers a meaningful way to honour Kaylee while continuing a project centred on authentic representation.
Rather than leaving the role behind, the production is giving it a new chapter through someone who knew Kaylee beyond the cameras. For a film about people discovering their own superhero potential, the decision carries profound significance.
Why Is Jasmine Hottle Taking Over Her Sister's Final Role?
Speaking to People in an interview published on 11 November, Mingo described Kaylee's death as an unimaginable tragedy that continues to affect everyone involved with the film. Kaylee passed away on 21 July following a single-vehicle collision in Ijamsville, Maryland. Her death was attributed to blunt-force injuries.
'When we began discussing how to move forward, the possibility of Jasmine taking on her sister's role emerged as something particularly meaningful', he explained. Mingo said the decision went beyond finding another actress to fill the part.
Jasmine's connection to Kaylee gives the production an opportunity to preserve the actress' legacy while maintaining its commitment to disability representation. Jasmine recently graduated as valedictorian from the Texas School for the Deaf, where Kaylee was studying as a senior.
What Is 'What Doesn't Kill Us' About?
What Doesn't Kill Us follows a group of friends with disabilities who pursue their dream of becoming superheroes. Rather than treating disability as an obstacle to be erased, the film places it at the heart of its characters' strengths.
The project also features Marvel actress Alaqua Cox, known for playing Maya Lopez in Hawkeye and Echo. Like the Hottle sisters, Cox is deaf. Mingo explained that the creative team wants to tell a different kind of superhero story, with disability presented as an essential part of what makes its characters extraordinary.
For audiences accustomed to superheroes gaining extraordinary abilities through accidents, experiments, or otherworldly powers, What Doesn't Kill Us promises a different perspective on what makes someone heroic. It goes to show that not all heroes wear capes. Some might wear hearing aids, glasses, or other devices that amplify their strengths rather than weaken them.
Remembering Kaylee Hottle's Career
Before the tragedy, Kaylee was building a career in Hollywood through her portrayal of Jia, a deaf girl who communicates with Kong using sign language, in Godzilla vs. Kong (2021). She reprised the role in Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire (2024), becoming a familiar face to audiences of the blockbuster franchise. Her work also brought greater visibility to deaf performers in major Hollywood productions, a commitment reflected in the final project she was preparing to join.
Although Kaylee will never get to complete What Doesn't Kill Us herself, her sister's participation means the film can continue with a personal connection to the actress who was originally part of its blueprint. Kaylee was preparing to tell a story about superheroes. Now, her sister is carrying the baton to tell a tale that doesn't need sound to speak volumes and to be heard.
