Joseph Kosinski, the director of the 2010 sci-fi film TRON: Legacy, explained why he tends to shy away from the practice of fan service in his movies. Since directing the sequel revitalization of the 1982 Tron movie, Kosinski has worked on a few other projects, and is currently the director for the upcoming Top Gun: Maverick.
Fan service, in its most basic definition, is when a film does everything in its power to cater to the fans’ whims. This often refers to writers or directors including a character or element in a film purely for the sake of long-time fans of the franchise. The idea is that these fans will recognize and enjoy references to past movies, because it reminds them of how much they used to love that property. However, fan service has been criticized as cheap or unoriginal, with viewers complaining that fan service elements do not serve the story (see the example of the female Avengers being used for fan service in Endgame).
In Collider's panel from Comic-Con at Home titled “Directors on Directing,” Kosinski shared his take on fan service. The director explained that he understands why fan service is used so often, but that he personally is not a fan of it. In Kosinski’s opinion, he would rather focus his energy on telling a good, original story: “You gotta tell your story. The idea of fan service is a very alluring, tricky thing, because it’s kind of like an easy win. But ultimately you have to decide, does this serve the story you’re telling?... If you use that as your bar, then I think generally you’ll make the right choice.”
If Kosinski had come out in favor of fan service, he would not have been alone in the entertainment industry. In a recent interview, Rise of Skywalker editor Maryann Brandon spoke out in defense of the Star Wars sequel’s use of fan service, stating that it was important to reference the history of the brand. On the other hand, popular genre fiction has often been mocked for its over-use of fan service, so it may not be a sustainable trend in the entertainment industry.
Whatever the case, Kosinski’s strong stance against fan service may have interesting implications for the upcoming Top Gun sequel. It’s already been reported that Tom Cruise’s character in the sequel will be facing challenges from the past, which could lead one to believe that past characters will be coming back in a fan service-y way. But given Kosinski’s attitude, it’s possible that we’ll be seeing a more unique take on the Top Gun story. Top Gun: Maverick could be a completely new and successful take on the same franchise, or it could face the same mediocre reception as TRON: Legacy; the future is still uncertain.
Source: Collider