Nellie Andreeva

EXCLUSIVE: CBS’ untitled Ed Redlich/John Bellucci drama pilot, which was rolled over from last season, has been given a formal green light, with Niels Arden Oplev, director of  The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, on board to direct.

The project, co-produced by Sony Pictures TV and CBS TV Studios, centers on a female NYPD detective who possesses the special ability to remember everything and, although a gift in her job, it’s also a curse in her personal life. Redlich and Bellucci wrote the script, which is inspired by J. Robert Lennon’s short story The Rememberer, and are exec producing with CBS TV Studios-based Sarah Timberman and Carl Beverly who originally developed the project while at Sony. Last year, the pilot was given a cast-contingent order but was pushed following difficulties casting the lead. I hear this time there are no contingencies.

The firm green light for the Redlich/Bellucci pilot comes on the heels of a slew of news stories highlighting the phenomenon of “superior autobiographical memory.” CBS’ 60 Minutes in December did a segment on  it, a rare ability to remember each day of your life as if it happened yesterday, which is posessed by only a handful of people in the world, including actress Marilu Henner.

This marks the U.S. debut of Danish film and TV director Oplev, whose Girl with the Dragon Tattoo movie has grossed more than $100 million worldwide and has received 3 BAFTA nominations. Oplev is already in business with CBS on the film side – he is developing The Keep, based on Jennifer Egan, at CBS Films. The director, repped by ICM and U.K.’s Curtis Brown Group, is also attached to Film Department’s Good People, with Tobey Maguire on board to star.

TV Editor Nellie Andreeva - tip her here.