Nellie Andreeva

EXCLUSIVE: I hear the CBS pilot Chaos has sprung back to life in the past 24 hours. This is the latest twist to the story of the 20th Century Fox TV-produced CIA drama pilot, which was close to a midseason pickup by CBS but the deal ultimately fell apart on June 30 after five weeks of negotiations. I hear the groundwork was laid by CAA, which represents the project, and the resurrection process took a step forward yesterday when CBS’ entertainment president Nina Tassler had lunch with 20th TV chairmen Dana Walden and Gary Newman to discuss the matter. I hear the Brett Ratner-directed Chaos is now back on track for a midseason series order at CBS, possibly as a co-production between 20th TV and CBS TV Studios. The only major obstacle is bringing back the cast, led by Freddy Rodriguez, which was released on June 30 when the actors’ options expired. I hear the actors have been approached about returning and things look optimistic on that front. I also hear a decision on the future of the project could come as soon as today. It probably will be final this time, though with Chaos, you never know. As one industry insider commented, ”This process has been absurd beyond belief; the most aptly titled pilot of all times.”

CBS has been high on Chaos creator Tom Spezialy and his work on the pilot. The network recently inked a blind script deal with him for a new CBS Studios-based project.

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