Paramount Network has ordered a pilot for “68 Whiskey,” an adaptation of Israeli TV series “Charlie Golf One,” from Ron Howard and Brian Grazer’s Imagine Television Studios.
Howard will direct the pilot, a dark comedy written by “The Brink” co-creator Roberto Benabib. CBS TV Studios is co-producing and co-financing the project with Imagine, per a first look deal between the two companies. Howard will executive produce along with Grazer and Imagine Television Group Chairman Francie Calfo.
“68 Whiskey” (working title) 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.
Zion Rubin, who created “Charlie Golf One,” will also serve as an executive producer with Efrat Shmaya Dror from the United Studios of Israel and Danna Stern from yes Studios. “Charlie Golf One” is produced by United Studios of Israel and yes TV, the production company behind Netflix’s international drama, “Fauda.”
The project comes as the parent companies for both Paramount Network (Viacom) and CBS TV Studios (CBS Corp) are embroiled in corporate legal drama.