Jon Stewart taking ‘Daily Show’ hiatus to direct film
Jon Stewart speaks onstage at the First Annual Comedy Awards at Hammerstein Ballroom on March 26, 2011 in New York City.
Jon Stewart is taking a hiatus this summer from "The Daily Show" to direct his first film.
The Comedy Central host will spend about 12 weeks directing "Rosewater," a movie about journalist Maziar Bahari’s time in an Iranian prison during the country's 2009 elections, according to Deadline Hollywood.
Stewart wrote the movie script which is based on Bahari’s book "Then They Came For Me: A Family’s Story Of Love, Captivity And Survival" which recounts the BBC journalist's trip to Iran and his subsequent 118 days of interrogation.
Stewart will produce the film along with Hollywood A-listers Scott Rudin and Gigi Pritzker.
More from GlobalPost: Jon Stewart debates Bill O'Reilly in Washington
As it turns out, Stewart has a personal connection to the story.
USA Today reported one of the pieces of evidence used against Bahari, who was accused of being a spy, was an appearance on Stewart's show.
John Oliver will serve as a fill-in host for about eight weeks of new shows this summer.
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