In a world where Craig Ferguson writes revenge thrillers and a Survivor host directs films, perhaps we should be so surprised at this news. We’ve always known Comedy Central‘s The Daily Show to be a birthplace for creative talent, as we’ve seen the careers of Steve Carell, Rob Corddry, Ed Helms, Stephen Colbert and more skyrocket, but now it’s time for its faithful host to branch out.
According to Deadline, Jon Stewart will be taking a three-month break from giving us his commentary and news this summer, as he is set to make his directorial and writing debut. The talent will be helming a film titled Rosewater, which comes from Maziar Bahari‘s novel Then They Came For Me: A Family’s Story Of Love, Captivity And Survival.
Far from a comedy, the project follows the original author’s “harrowing ordeal of leaving London in June 2009 to cover Iran’s presidential elections. With a pregnant fiance left behind, the BBC journalist expected to be away for a week. Instead, he spent the next 118 days in Iran’s most notorious prison being brutally interrogated by a man he knew only by one thing: he smelled of Rosewater.”
Produced by Scott Rudin, this marks quite a career leap for Stewart, whose previous Hollywood experience is popping up in bit parts in films like Death to Smoochy, Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back and Big Daddy. For this 12-week stint Stewart will be replaced by John Oliver, but if his directing career takes off with this project, perhaps we could be seeing a lot less of him during the weekdays.
What do you think about Jon Stewart heading into directing? Will you miss him on The Daily Show this summer?