Val Kilmer has a new starring role: He is this year’s celebrity king for the Krewe of Bacchus parade in New Orleans.

The annual parade will take place on Feb. 22, two days before Mardi Gras.

As reigning Bacchus, Kilmer will don royal apparel for his ride through the city on a float and will also visit Children’s Hospital, a tradition of every parade king for the past three decades.

A doubloon bearing the actor’s likeness will also be thrown to parade spectators.

Kilmer, whose screen credits include “The Doors,” “Batman Forever” and “Kiss Kiss Bang Bang,” is no stranger to New Orleans. His 2006 film “Deja Vu,” also starring Denzel Washington, was filmed in the city.

Wrestler and reality TV star Hulk Hogan was last year’s reigning Bacchus. Past kings include William Shatner, Billy Crystal, James Gandolfini, Bob Hope and Ron Howard.






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