Jon Stewart Taking Hiatus from 'Daily Show' to Direct Serious Movie, 'Rosewater': John Oliver Replaces Him

Jon Stewart is set to take a 12-week hiatus this summer from "The Daily Show" to direct his first movie, Rosewater. During this break, John Oliver will be filling in the anchor seat for 8 of the 12 weeks. Rosewater will be and adaptation of Then They Came For Me: A Family's Story of Love, Captivity and Survival. It tells the true story of journalist Maziar Bahari who, in 2009, spent 118 days in a prison in Iran. Stewart wrote the screenplay of his directorial debut. Academy Award winner Scott Rudin is producing the film.

Bahari has been on "The Daily Show with Jon Stewart" on three occasions, one of which actually led to his arrest. While being interviewed by correspondent Jason Jones, the comedic side of the show was taken too seriously and the Iranian government accused Bahari of being a spy. 

"You can imagine how upset we were," Jon Stewart said, "and I struck up a friendship with him afterward." Though Stewart and "The Daily Show" are more satirical, the film, Rosewater, will be a drama. Stewart's friendship with Bahari became the underlying reason for his wanting to make the film saying, "It just kind of happened." Though this will be Jon Stewart's first directorial attempt, he is definitely no stranger to the movie industry. Before landing his gig on "The Daily Show," he appeared in many films such as Big Daddy, Death to Smoochie, and The Faculty. He also hosted the Oscars in 2006 and 2008.

John Oliver is joining a short list of guest hosts for "The Daily Show." Correspondents Stephen Colbert and Rob Corddry have stepped into the anchor position of the show during their stints, Colbert now has his own show and Corddry is a successful film actor. John Oliver is also the host of "John Oliver's New York Stand Up Show."