What? According to Deadline, Jon Stewart, the beloved and influential host of Comedy Central's "The Daily Show with Jon Stewart," has announced that he will be taking an eight week leave of absence from the show in order to direct his first feature film, "Rosewater."

And unlike "The Daily Show's" fake news, this news is very, very real.

Stewart, of course, is no stranger to the movie business, having appeared in movies like "Half Baked" and "Death to Smoochy," a resume that pretty much anyone this side of Al Pacino would be proud of. But since he took over as host of "The Daily Show" back in 1999, the comedian has focused most of his energy on lampooning the absurdities of modern life rather than building up his film portfolio.

Now, though, he's found a passion project in "Rosewater," an adaptation of the memoir "Then They Came For Me: A Family’s Story Of Love, Captivity And Survival" by journalist Maziar Bahari," who was arrested while covering the 2009 Iranian presidential elections and held captive for 118 days on charges of spying. One of the key bits of evidence used against him by his jailors? An appearance on "The Daily Show."

Stewart is aware of the challenges he faces moving from behind the desk to behind a camera.

"I am a television person who is accustomed to having a thought at 10 AM and having it out there at 6:30 PM and moving on, so this is a little scary," he said. "One of the reasons we are in this business is to challenge ourselves."

We miss you already, Jon!