Top Gun: Maverick director Joseph Kosinski has had an uneven screen career thus far, but each of his earlier outings has a clear influence on the direction of the long-awaited Top Gun sequel. When the time came to find a director for Top Gun, Tony Scott was not the first name considered for the blockbuster action movie. Before Scott came aboard the project, one potential Top Gun director, John Carpenter, turned down the chance to make the movie as he noted that the dogfight finale was laughably unrealistic, and a real-life aggressive incident between Russian and American armed forces at the height of the Cold War would have resulted in WWIII.
With Carpenter not interested in the Tom Cruise vehicle, Scott was selected. It is difficult to imagine anyone else making Top Gun, as Scott’s unique style was instrumental to the movie’s success. Top Gun’s polished visuals, fast-paced editing, and striking blue and orange color palette were trademarks of the iconic action cinema legend. This same signature style went on to make the movie a massive success at the box office.
Unfortunately, Scott passed away in 2010 at a tragically young age. The movie’s long-awaited sequel seemed unlikely to ever come to fruition after the director’s passing, but in the years since, Tony Scott’s original Top Gun sequel idea has been abandoned, the story has been retooled, and the helmer Joseph Kosinski has been tasked with reigniting interest in the franchise. No one could replace Scott in the director’s chair of Top Gun: Maverick, but what does this new director bring to the sequel, and what do the helmer's earlier outings tell audiences about his upcoming Top Gun sequel? Thus far, Kosinski has only directed three movies: 2010's Tron: Legacy, 2013's Oblivion, and 2017's Only the Brave. However, even these three outings can give viewers a good idea of what to expect from Top Gun: Maverick, illustrating both the pitfalls Kosinski must avoid and the strengths that the director can play into in helming the much-anticipated sequel.
Tron: Legacy
Kosinski’s first film was 2010’s Tron: Legacy, proving that the director has a fondness for reviving nostalgic ‘80s properties. However, unlike what viewers hope to see from Top Gun: Maverick, Tron: Legacy was largely dismissed as a beautiful but empty case of style trumping depth as critics accused Kosinski of caring more about the sequel’s aesthetics than its heart and plot. Despite spirited performances from Olivia Wilde and Jeff Bridges, this belated followup was thin in terms of plot and purpose, meaning Top Gun: Maverick will need to beef up its story and offer the same internal conflict that made the original’s Maverick an engaging protagonist for viewers, instead of relying on brand recognition as this outing was accused of doing. Tron: Legacy was seen by many reviewers as a case of a recognizable property resting on its laurels and hoping that residual fondness for the original will get viewers interested and enthusiastic. That said, the many delays of Top Gun: Maverick’s release date means the creators know hype alone won’t be enough to drive interest in the sequel, and a compelling story is also a baseline requirement to keep the series alive.
Oblivion
Marrying the awe-inspiring visuals of Tron: Legacy with a stronger story, Oblivion marked both a big improvement in Kosinski’s critical fortunes and (not coincidentally) his first collaboration with Tom Cruise. The sci-fi story offered some truly jaw-dropping imagery but also had a compelling human drama at its center, with a stellar mid-movie twist leaving even seasoned critics genuinely surprised. Despite being released during something of a Renaissance for sci-fi, Oblivion managed to stand out alongside heavyweight rivals like Gravity and Interstellar as a thoughtful, intelligent fusion of sci-fi and action. A smart, fresh approach to the now-familiar story of military triumph is something that Top Gun: Maverick will need to stand out in a crowded blockbuster marketplace, and Oblivion’s ability to leave an impression on critics despite stiff competition proves that Kosinski can pull this off. Oblivion’s smart approach to futuristic sci-fi, meanwhile, proves the director can ground human drama in unlikely places, which bodes well for Top Gun: Maverick.
Only The Brave
2017’s Only The Brave may have flopped financially, but this tragic tale of a real-life team of firefighters is a moving, beautifully realized spectacle that proves Kosinski can ground small-scale character drama within big, expansive action set pieces. The plot follows the team’s heroic efforts to contain the Yarnell Hill Fire, and within this framework, the movie finds time for a moving story of mentorship between Miles Teller’s wayward young recruit and Josh Brolin’s grizzled veteran. If Kosinski can recreate this poignant, believable dynamic between Teller’s Rooster and Cruise’s Maverick, Top Gun: Maverick could soar to dramatic heights even the original never reached. While the original Top Gun is a cult classic beloved by many viewers, few fans would call the movie particularly emotionally deep despite the subplot about Maverick’s missing father. By and large, Top Gun is about action first and emotion second, something Only The Brave subverts throughout its runtime.
As Brolin’s icy protagonist gradually warms to Teller’s upstart across the duration of their grueling mission, Only The Brave allows a naturalistic father figure/prodigal son dynamic to develop between the mismatched duo. Despite the blazing wildfires surrounding them, the movie never falters in its focus on the human drama at its core, a promising sign for Top Gun: Maverick's dramatic potential. After all, with Cruise getting older the best possible future for the Top Gun franchise is one that transforms Maverick from an on-the-ground action hero into a hands-off mentor figure as he ages into retirement, and Only The Brave has already provided plentiful evidence that Kosinski can pull off this dynamic believably and gracefully while still providing thrilling, fast-paced action movie. All of the movies made by Joseph Kosinski throughout his career so far can tell viewers a bit about how the plot of Top Gun: Maverick may pan out, but it is Only The Brave that provides the most exciting food for thought among the fandom despite its commercial underperformance.
