Nikki Finke might actually not be the angriest person on the set of "Tilda," HBO's pilot about a showbiz blogger who bears a striking resemblance to the Deadline Hollywood founder.
An individual close to the production confirmed to TheWrap that showrunner Cynthia Mort was removed after she sent a heated email criticizing "Tilda" star Diane Keaton and executive producer/director Bill Condon.
Mort had repeatedly clashed with both Keaton and Condon and apparently decided to vent her frustrations in writing, the person said.
"Tilda" tells the story of Tilda Watski, a crotchety Hollywood blogger played by Diane Keaton. Officially, HBO brass says Watski is a "compilation" of several Tinseltown media figures, but the character bears an almost unmistakeable resemblance to Finke.
Finke was given a role as a paid consultant on the project, in part as an incentive not to sue HBO. When we last checked in on the project, the biggest worry on the "Tilda" set seemed to be Finke's angry phone calls, but now, it seems that this comedy is embroiled in some genuinely serious drama.
HBO declined a request to comment. As of this writing, Mort could not be reached.
The news that Mort was off the show was first reported by Entertainment Weekly.
