It seems Val Kilmer didn't wait until the new year to get himself in shape, as the former Batman star appears to have lost a substantial amount of weight in new pictures published by Britain’s Daily Mail newspaper.

Val KilmerKilmer in 2013

In the pics a noticeably thinner Kilmer is seen out shopping in Malibu wearing a yellow shirt, jeans sunglass and a flat cap. In recent years the actor had gained some weight and looked considerably different than in his heyday where he played the caped crusader and Doors singer Jim Morrison.

However now some are voicing concern over the star’s new slimmed down appearance, with the Daily Mail describing the actor as gaunt, while Entertainment Tonight wrote the 54 year old was now ‘strikingly thin’.

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In August Kilmer showed off his new physique, posting a shirtless selfie on twitter. Then in September TMZ reported that Kilmer had “shed the pounds the old fashioned way with determination ... and walking his ass off.” The gossip site also wrote that there was “no personal chef or magic diet pill”, involved in the actor's weight loss,”just healthy eating and exercise, especially long walks on the beach by his home in Malibu.”

Fans of the actor will no doubt be hoping that his recent weight loss will lead to a career resurgence of sorts as although Kilmer has worked consistently in recent years his star has faded somewhat over the past decade.

Earlier this year he appeared in Gia Coppola’s Palo Alto opposite his son Jack, however he is currently working on a film about writer Mark Twain which he will direct.

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He will then star in the much anticipated as yet untitled Terrence Malick project which is also said to boast Ryan Gosling, Christian Bale, Natalie Portman, Rooney Mara, Cate Blanchett and Michael Fassbender among its cast.