The Daily Show’s host Jon Stewart will be taking time off to direct his first feature debut.
The film, entitled Rosewater, and is an adaptation of Maziar Bahari’s memoir Then They Came for Me: A Family’s Story of Love, Captivity and Survival published in 2011.
It tells the story of his travels to Iran in June 2009 to cover the country’s presidential elections for the BBC.
Bahari was held in an Iranian prison for 118 days and was subjected to violent interrogations by a man he knew only by his scent – rosewater.
He was accused of being a spy and one of the pieces of ‘evidence’ used against him was an appearance he made on The Daily Show.
Stewart wrote the script and will leave his comedy show for 12 weeks. John Oliver, a regular on the show will guest host for eight weeks in Stewart’s absence.
The comedian and host has been involved in numerous films over the years and even hosted the 2008 Oscars, but Rosewater marks his first time writing and directing a feature.