Jim Wynorski, director of the cult classic Chopping Mall, definitely didn't appreciate the homage to his movie found in the most recent episode of Agents of SHIELD. The sci-fi/horror film was released in 1986, and while it didn't perform well financially or critically, it has developed a cult following in the years since. Chopping Mall follows a group of friends who get trapped in a mall after hours when it goes on lockdown and triggers its state of the art security system, which features high-tech robots that soon embark on a killing spree. In addition to directing, Wynorski wrote the script for Chopping Mall along with Steve Mitchell.
The seventh and final season of Agents of SHIELD has seen its main characters visit various moments in history as they work to stop the alien Chronicoms from destroying SHIELD and the earth. Last week's episode, titled "The Totally Excellent Adventures of Mack and the D," followed Mack (Henry Simmons) and Deke (Jeff Ward) after they accidentally got left behind in the early 1980s. The episode was filled to the brim with several 80s movie and TV references, including robots that looked like replicas of those found in Chopping Mall.
Wynorksi saw the Agents of SHIELD episode, and instead of being amused by the reference, took deep offense. On Facebook, Wynorski shared an open letter he wrote to Agents of SHIELD producer Chris Cheramie where he criticized the decision to reference Chopping Mall without informing him. "As a fan of Marvel comics and movies, I want your company to succeed - but not when the people in charge attempt to entertain by overtly plagiarizing other people's creative hard work," Wynorski wrote. Near the letter's conclusion, Wynorski suggested he would take further action if he didn't hear back from those at Agents of SHIELD. You can see Wynorski's full post down below.
It is true that the robots found in Agents of SHIELD (which were primitive Chronicom hunters) are essentially the same as those found in Chopping Mall, so one can see where Wynorski is coming from. However, Agents of SHIELD featured several different references, from the usage of "Don't You (Forget About Me)" to new character introductions in the style of The A Team. Agents of SHIELD clearly wanted to pay homage to several different 80s classics, hence the inclusion of Chopping Mall's robots. It's also worth mentioning that Agents of SHIELD previously referenced Chopping Mall in season 4.
It's not clear if Wynorski has actually taken any action against Agents of SHIELD, though he certainly seemed poised to do so last week. It might just take some time before any real updates on this matter come to light, or it could also just fade away with no other mention. It all depends on how determined Wynorski is to see this through and whether there is substantial proof that this was anything more than a playful homage. At the present moment, though, it certainly seems like an homage was all it was.
Agents of SHIELD season 7 continues this Wednesday with "After, Before" on ABC.
Source: Jim Wynorski/Facebook