More About the Iranian Prison Film Jon Stewart is Leaving 'Daily Show' to Direct

March 5th, 2013 by Dan Washburn

We admit we were a little surprised to learn that Jon Stewart will be leaving The Daily Show for three months later this year to direct a feature film (John Oliver will fill in, so the show will be in good hands). But we were even more surprised to learn that the movie Stewart will be directing is an adaptation of Iranian-Canadian journalist Maziar Bahari's Iran prison memoir Then They Came For Me.

This would seem a bit of a departure for a guy whose movie credits include Death to Smoochy and Half Baked. Who knows: Maybe Stewart will quiet his doubters and pull a Ben Affleck.

For those of you looking for a little more information on what Stewart's directorial debut — to be called Rosewater — will be about, we've got you covered. Bahari, a 2010 Asia 21 Fellow, appeared at Asia Society New York in June 2011 to discuss Then They Came For Me. Below, we've embedded video of the complete program and also two highlights. You can also read an excerpt from the book and Asia Blog's Q&A with Bahari.

Maziar Bahari: 'We Can Always Bring You Back in a Bag'