“Daily Show” host Jon Stewart will take an extended hiatus from his late night talk show this summer to direct his first movie. Stewart, who has been the host of the show since 1999, will be replaced by John Oliver.
Stewart will take his break over 12 weeks this summer. Oliver will fill in as host for eight of those weeks.
The Comedy Central host will make his directorial debut from his adaptation of the memoir Then They Came For Me: A Family’s Story Of Love, Captivity And Survival. Stewart wrote the screenplay, now entitled “Rosewater,” which tells the true story of Maziar Bahari, a journalist who spent 118 days in an Iranian prison in 2009. Scott Rudin will produce the film.
Even though Jon Stewart is known for being one of the best comedians on television, the film will not be a comedy. Stewart told The New York Times that that the film came about due to his friendship with Behari after his appearances on the show. “It just kind of happened,” he said.
Besides appearing in a few films in the 1990′s the closest Stewart has come to Hollywood was when he hosted the Oscars back in 2006 and 2008.
For more on the story, check out [CNN]
