Ron Howard’s Working on ’68 Whiskey’ with Paramount Network

Ron Howard on the set of Solo: A Star Wars Story
Ron Howard on the set of ‘Solo: A Star Wars Story’ (Photo by John Wilson/ Copyright: 2018 Lucasfilm Ltd.)

Oscar winner Ron Howard is confirmed to direct and executive produce 68 Whiskey which has just received a pilot order from Paramount Network. The series is being produced by Imagine Television Studios and CBS Television Studios, and is based on the Israeli television series Charlie Golf One.

Described as a dark comedy, 68 Whiskey (the working title) will be written by Emmy nominee Roberto Benabib (Weeds, The Brink, Ally McBeal). In addition to Ron Howard, the series will be executive produced by Oscar winner Brian Grazer, Imagine Television Group Chairman Francie Calfo (Empire, Genius), yes Studios’ Danna Stern, and United Studios of Israel’s Efrat Shmaya Dror. The creator of the original Israeli series, Zion Rubin, is also on on board in an executive producer capacity.

Ron Howard’s recently been keeping busy promoting Solo: A Star Wars Story starring Alden Ehrenreich as a young Han Solo. The Han Solo film, one of the worst performing movies of the Star Wars franchise, currently sits at 71% fresh on Rotten Tomatoes.


Howard’s directing credits also include In the Heart of the Sea, Rush, Angels & Demons, Frost/Nixon, The Da Vinci Code, Cinderella Man, The Missing, and Apollo 13. Howard was nominated for four Academy Awards, winning the Best Director and Best Picture Oscars for his work on A Beautiful Mind.

Ron Howard began his career in the entertainment industry back in the late 1950s as an actor. He grew up in front of the camera with starring roles in Dennis the Menace and The Andy Griffith Show. He went on to star in American Graffiti and as Richie Cunningham in Happy Days which ran from 1974-1984. He transitioned to director with the 1977 action comedy Grand Theft Auto which he co-wrote and starred in alongside Nancy Morgan his father, Rance, and brother, Clint.

The 68 Whiskey Plot: Adapted from the Israeli television series Charlie Golf One, this dark comedy follows a multicultural mix of men and women deployed as Army medics to a forward operating base in Afghanistan nicknamed “The Orphanage.” Together, they endure a dangerous and Kafkaesque world that leads to self-destructive appetites, outrageous behavior, intense camaraderie and occasionally, a profound sense of purpose.