Summary
The director ofTop Gun: MaverickandF1has brought unparalleled action to moviegoers around the world, but his masterpiece may still belong to a nearly twenty-year-old video game commercial.F1stars Brad Pitt as seasoned Formula One driver Sunny Hayes, who finds himself mentoring a young up-and-coming driver, played by Damon Idris. Trailers have highlighted the thrilling race scenes and pulse-pounding crashes, with the director adapting what he learned withTop Gun: Maverickfor the world of high-stakes racing.
Top Gun: Maverickfeatured aerial action sequences unlike audiences had ever seen, helping to resurrect theater-going following the COVID-19 pandemic. Tom Cruise once again took to the skies as Maverick, assisting a group of young recruits, one of whom is Goose’s son Rooster, played by Miles Teller, in training for a risky precision mission against an unknown enemy. The movie ruled the 2022 box office long after its initial release, with a worldwide haul of $1.5 billion.F1hopes to copy the same success, which is debatable due to its inflated budget. Still,the director of both blockbusters, Joseph Kosinski, has a storied and lauded career that began with a famous video game commercial.
Joseph Kosinski Boasts A Stellar Resume With More Than JustTop Gun: Maverick&F1
Joseph Kosinski entered the feature film world with a strong first swing, being entrusted with the 2010 hefty-budgeted Disney sequelTron: Legacy.The sequel brought back Jeff Bridges and introduced new characters into the neon-soaked world created by the originalTron, featuring one of the year’s best scores from Daft Punk. Despite bringing in $400 million worldwide, Disney wasn’t pleased with the film, seeing sequel plans put into turnaround. Therelease ofTron: Areslater this year will finally continue the franchise, albeit without Kosinski.
Still,the director continued with his underrated Tom Cruise sci-fi action filmOblivion, another movie deemed to have underperformed on its budget.Kosinski followed it up in 2017 with another underrated film,Only the Brave, starring Miles Teller, Jeff Bridges, and Josh Brolin.Only the Bravefeatured a smaller budget for the director but also garnered some of his career-best reviews for telling the true story of an elite group of firefighters battling wildfires. The movie went criminally underseen at the box office, but has found a new audience thanks to Kosinski’s follow-up,Top Gun: Maverick.
Thanks toTop Gun: Maverick, much of Kosinski’s work that may have missed audiences for various reasons is finding a second life.Tron: Legacyis getting a nice boost with the third film on the way, andOblivioncontinues to find fans looking for unique sci-fi thrills. WithF1, the director continues his streak of high-octane spectacle with an emotional story at its core. Still, it may suffer the curse of his earlier work, failing to recoup its budget, which is said to be over $300 million. However, before he directed a single feature film, Kosinski’s first mainstream project was one of the most impactful video game ads ever.
Despite The Heights OfTop Gun: Maverick, Kosinki’s Greatest Work Belongs ToGears Of War
Gears of Warhas become one of gaming’s biggest franchises, which first launched in 2006. The first game is also set for a remaster with therelease ofGears of War: Reloaded, and a new game is on the way, withGears of War: E-Day, which will cover the infamous events of Emergence Day inGearslore. Still, it all started when the first game’s advertising campaign helpedGears of Warrocket to success on the Xbox 360. Ads and trailers for the games highlighted the cover shooters' gameplay style and unique elements, like the weapons, environments, and enemy types. However,Joseph Kosinski helped define the emotional stakes for Marcus Fenix and his squad by directing theGears of War"Mad World" trailer.
The piano notes from Gary Jules' cover of Tears for Fears' “Mad World” are immediately recognizable in the trailer. The somber tones combined with the singer’s smooth voice are juxtaposed against a dark world rocked by war, and the lyrics take on a relevant meaning for theGears of Waruniverse that Kosinski helps establish in the trailer. Watchinggame protagonist Marcus Fenixtake a moment to reflect on the once beautiful rubble before being chased off by enemies brings the stakes of the world into quick focus. As he blindly leaps through a window, hoping to find refuge, he is met with dozens of bright eyes in the darkness, pitting him against potentially unbeatable odds, ending in a fight for survival, much like players will experience.
WhileGears of Warfocuses on action gameplay, Kosinski’s trailer featured minimal gunplay, instead zeroing in on the ramifications of war, allowing the song to help paint the darkness that brought the current visuals to life. It’s a unique trailer featuring a song that many would think doesn’t vibe with gamers, but it has become a renowned bit of advertising that shows how art can still help the marketing side. Whilemovies likeTop Gun: Maverickhighlightwhat Kosinski can do with big budgets and unprecedented access to jets,theGears of War"Mad World" trailer tells a perfect story in 60 seconds, proving to be a masterpiece that gamers still remember.
Gears Of WarIs Getting A Movie, And Kosinski Is Heading To The Beach ForMiami Vice
While theGears of Wargames are continuing with new releases, the long-gestating movie adaptation has also recently gained traction.Netflix announced plans to take over the development of the movie in 2022. While news was quiet for some time, Netflix recently announced thatDeadpool 2andBullet Traindirector David Leitch signed on for the film, which is still in the early stages. Still, even with the project years away, fans may finally get the movie they were promised almost 20 years ago.
Kosinski also has his next project lined up with a moviereboot of theMiami ViceTV series.AndorandNightcrawlerscribe Dan Gilroy is penning the script, which will be a new take on the story unconnected to prior reboots. Kosinski is also developing another project fromKing RichardandGran Turismowriter Zach Baylin, reportedly a UFO/disclosure thriller. WhileF1is due out soon,Joseph Kosinskishows no signs of slowing down, as his humble beginnings with aGears of Wartrailer have seen him elevated to one of Hollywood’s top directors.
