Joseph Kosinski (born May 3, 1974) is an American film director. He directed the films Tron: Legacy (2010), Oblivion (2013), Only the Brave (2017), Top Gun: Maverick (2022), Spiderhead (2022), and F1 (2025). His previous work in computer graphics and computer-generated imagery (CGI) primarily involved CGI-related television commercials, including the "Starry Night" commercial for Halo 3 and the award-winning "Mad World" commercial for Gears of War.
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Biography from TMDB.
- May 3, 1974 (52)
- Marshalltown, Iowa, USA
- Director, producer, writer and actor
- 8 on MovieCove · 12 credits in all
What are Joseph Kosinski's films like?
Across their 8 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Morality and Self.
Themes
What they feel like to watch
Ironic 0 · Wry 1 · Earnest 7
Light 2 · Serious 4 · Dark 2
A split, not a type: Grounded 2 · Stylized 1 · Heightened 5
A split, not a type: Gentle 1 · Charged 2 · Intense 5
Steady 1 · Shifting 6 · Whiplash 1
Straight-faced 6 · Some laughs 2 · Funny 0
Slow burn 1 · Even-paced 5 · Relentless 2
Casual 2 · Engaged 5 · Full focus 1
Easy watch 2 · Affecting 3 · Heavy 3
Resolved 6 · Open-ended 1 · Ambiguous 1
Moods and endings
- Happy3
- Bittersweet4
- Tragic1
AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.
Where can I watch Joseph Kosinski's films?
As of October 24, 2026, all 8 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service.
Subscription and free streaming for Joseph Kosinski's titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.
Filmography
12 credits, 8 with a MovieCove page; 4 appearances as themselves are hidden until asked for.
Miami Vice '85 (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2028)
Tron: Ares(2025)
Midcredits score: 45th percentile of all films
F1: The Movie(2025)
Midcredits score: 95th percentile of all films
Twisters(2024)
Midcredits score: 64th percentile of all films
Spiderhead(2022)
Midcredits score: 22nd percentile of all films
Top Gun: Maverick(2022)
Midcredits score: 99th percentile of all films
Only the Brave(2017)
Midcredits score: 97th percentile of all films
The Dig (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2017)
Oblivion(2013)
Midcredits score: 77th percentile of all films
The Tron Phenomenon (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2011)
Tron: Legacy(2010)
Midcredits score: 72nd percentile of all filmsUntitled UAP Conspiracy Thriller (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)
Career shape
A full career of 12 titles, 10 of them dated from 2010 to 2025.
Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on MovieCove, shown from 5 scored.
Awards
3 major nominations and no wins, 2023–2026.
- Oscar, nominated · Best Motion Picture of the Year
+1 other major body · 1 nomination
- Producers Guild Award, nominated · Outstanding Producer of Theatrical Motion Pictures
- Directors Guild Award, nominated · Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Theatrical Feature Film
Major bodies only: the Oscars, Primetime Emmys, Golden Globes, BAFTAs and Screen Actors Guild Awards are named; Cannes, Venice, the Berlinale, Sundance, the directors', writers' and producers' guilds, the Grammys, Critics Choice and the Independent Spirit Awards count as other major bodies. Festival and regional prizes are not counted. Source: IMDb.
How do Joseph Kosinski's films land?
Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 75th percentile, the median of all 8; across their 8 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 70th percentile for acclaim.
- 75th and up4
- 50th to 74th2
- 25th to 49th1
- Below 25th1
Shape of the crowd
None of their 8 titles divides audiences: 3 are Universally Loved.
- Universally Loved3
- Crowd Pleaser3
- Broadly Agreed1
- Mixed1
Reviewers score the atmosphere 73/100 and the pacing 51/100 in their films, across 7 reviewed titles. The element that speaks to their work as a director.
Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.
Is Joseph Kosinski's work okay for kids?
Across up to 7 MovieCove titles with content scores, profanity and frightening / intense run heavier than most films.
Severity 0–100 from the Content Guide. Categories with under 10 votes on a title are not counted. The band's colour is the severity of their median, named beside it.
Who does Joseph Kosinski work with?
People who share at least 2 of Joseph Kosinski's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Jeff Bridges shares the most, 4.
Writers
- Bonnie MacBirdShared titles: Tron: Ares (2025), Tron: Legacy (2010)See all 2 shared titles with Bonnie MacBird
- Ehren KrugerShared titles: F1: The Movie (2025), Top Gun: Maverick (2022)See all 2 shared titles with Ehren Kruger
- Steven LisbergerShared titles: Tron: Ares (2025), Tron: Legacy (2010)See all 2 shared titles with Steven Lisberger
Actors
- Jeff BridgesShared titles: Tron: Ares (2025), Only the Brave (2017), Visualizing 'Tron: Legacy' (2011), Tron: Legacy (2010)See all 4 shared titles with Jeff Bridges
- Miles TellerShared titles: Spiderhead (2022), Top Gun: Maverick (2022), Only the Brave (2017)See all 3 shared titles with Miles Teller
- Jennifer ConnellyShared titles: Top Gun: Maverick (2022), Only the Brave (2017)See all 2 shared titles with Jennifer Connelly
- Tom CruiseShared titles: Top Gun: Maverick (2022), Oblivion (2013)See all 2 shared titles with Tom Cruise
Composers, cinematographers and editors
- Claudio MirandaShared titles: F1: The Movie (2025), Spiderhead (2022), Oblivion (2013), Tron: Legacy (2010)See all 4 shared titles with Claudio Miranda
- Stephen MirrioneShared titles: F1: The Movie (2025), Spiderhead (2022)See all 2 shared titles with Stephen Mirrione
- Joseph TrapaneseShared titles: Spiderhead (2022), Oblivion (2013)See all 2 shared titles with Joseph Trapanese
Producers
- Justin SpringerShared titles: Tron: Ares (2025), Oblivion (2013), Tron: Legacy (2010)See all 3 shared titles with Justin Springer
- Bruce FranklinShared titles: Only the Brave (2017), Oblivion (2013), Tron: Legacy (2010)See all 3 shared titles with Bruce Franklin
- Sean BaileyShared titles: Tron: Ares (2025), Visualizing 'Tron: Legacy' (2011), Tron: Legacy (2010)See all 3 shared titles with Sean Bailey
- Jeffrey SilverShared titles: Tron: Ares (2025), Tron: Legacy (2010)See all 2 shared titles with Jeffrey Silver
Mixed roles
- Adam HorowitzShared titles: Tron: Ares (2025), Tron: Legacy (2010)See all 2 shared titles with Adam Horowitz
- Edward KitsisShared titles: Tron: Ares (2025), Tron: Legacy (2010)See all 2 shared titles with Edward Kitsis
