Kosinski grew up inMarshalltown, Iowa, the son of Patricia (née Provost) of French-Canadian (Québec) descent, and Joel Kosinski, a doctor of Polish descent.[4][5][6][7]
After moving toLos Angeles in 2005, he began writing afilm treatment which would eventually develop into an unpublishedgraphic novel by the titleOblivion forRadical Comics.[11] In August 2010,Walt Disney Pictures acquired the rights to the work.[12]William Monahan worked on the screenplay for a film adaptation.[8] In March 2011, it was reported that Karl Gajdusek would rewrite the screenplay.[13] Attempts to keep the film with a PG rating were unsuccessful, leading to Disney giving up the rights which were acquired byUniversal Pictures, and agreed to aPG-13 rating. The $120-million-budgetedOblivion began filming in March 2012, withTom Cruise in the lead role, and was released in April 2013 to mixed reviews and grossed $286 million worldwide.[14]
In 2017, he directedOnly the Brave, originally titledGranite Mountain, based on the true story of theGranite Mountain Hotshots (wildland firefighters). In June 2017, it was announced he was set to direct the sequel toTop Gun, titledTop Gun: Maverick, reuniting withOblivion star Tom Cruise.[15] The film was released in theatres on May 27, 2022, byParamount Pictures and grossed $1.496 billion worldwide, becoming Cruise's highest-grossing film at the box office.[16][17][18]
Kosinski is also directing aFormula One racing film namedF1, reteaming withTop Gun: Maverick producerJerry Bruckheimer and screenwriterEhren Kruger, with racing driverLewis Hamilton also serving as producer. The project, acquired byApple Studios in June 2022, starsBrad Pitt and will receive an exclusive theatrical run "of at least 30 days" starting internationally on June 25, 2025, and in North America on June 27, 2025, before streaming onApple TV+.[19][20]
Kosinski was confirmed to direct the thirdTron film in March 2015, but in May of the same year it was announced that Disney had canceled the project.[26][27]
Kosinski also signed on to direct a film adaptation of theGran Turismo video game series forSony Pictures in March 2015, but in February 2018, it was reported the project was no longer moving forward.[28][29]The project would eventually be directed byNeill Blomkamp and released in theatres on August 25, 2023.[30][31]
In June 2020, he was hired to direct the remake ofTwister, which was announced by Universal Pictures, the original film's international distributor,[32] but in October 2022, Kosinski stepped down after the project was repurposed into a legacy-sequel,Twisters, and replaced byLee Isaac Chung as director.[33][34]
Kosinski is an alumnus ofColumbia Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation (GSAPP), and was an adjunct assistant professor of architecture[35] helping students in 3D modeling and graphics.[36] In 2008, he spoke in detail about his education in architecture, pushing the technological envelope in commercials and his eventual progression to feature films.[37]
^Barnes, Brooks (December 3, 2010)."Cyberspace Gamble".The New York Times. p. AR1.Archived from the original on June 10, 2015. RetrievedDecember 6, 2010.Raised in Marshalltown, Iowa — population 26,000 — he [Kosinski] is quiet, polite and interested in other people's opinions in a way that is rare in moviedom's major leagues.
