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The Daily Show's Jon Stewart Buys Maziar Bahari's Life Rights

by Alex Billington
March 23, 2010
Source: Pajiba

This is awesome news! Pajiba is reporting that The Daily Show host/political comedian extraordinaire Jon Stewart has bought the "life rights" of Iranian-Canadian journalist Maziar Bahari to adapt into a feature film, although no writer and director is on-board yet. Didn't think Stewart was into feature films? Neither did I. Apparently he helps run a production company called Busboy Productions that will be producing the project with Rich Korson. It's currently untitled, but will likely tell Bahari's imprisonment and interrogation story from last year that was, apparently, brought on no thanks to a segment on Stewart's show previously.

Bahari, a journalist for Newsweek, was arrested last year during the Iranian Election Protests and held by the Iranian government for 118 days. They charged and falsely accused him of being a spy for Mossad, CIA, MI6, and even Newsweek, and was interrogated daily. Apparently he even confessed he was a spy because The Daily Show correspondent Jason Jones dressed as a spy for an interview with him. He later met up with Stewart again on the show for a great interview (you can watch that here). It sounds like a fascinating story and I'm intrigued to see this come together. It's still early in the development stages and doesn't have any studio involvement, but we'll keep you updated on this, as it sounds like a great project to keep our eye on.

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gojon

awesome idea for a movie. i'm just glad someone in hollywood wants to show an actual "bad" country as being bad and not turn it into another "america sucks" movie.
DRM

Y'know, I love the Daily Show, and this certainly sounds like a story that should be out there. But I have to wonder at what point is it okay for a News Caster, even one for a comedy show, to make a movie with a political agenda? I mean, doesn't that betray all of his journalistic integrity, and makes him the same as all the bias journalists they so often lampoon on the show? I'm very pro-Jon Stewart. But this is a kind of ambiguos thing to do.
Stewart Turkeylink

Jon isn't really a journalist, so there is no journalistic integrity to betray. He may stand up for truth, justice, and all that jazz, like other journalists fail to do. So I don't think it really allows him to be lumped in with all the rest of the biased journalists. But either way, I'm intrigued enough to see where this goes.
prestron

Agreed. Jon Stewart is not a journalist, and that shouldn't diminish his cultural or political importance. As a politically motivated entertainer he can just as easily make news as he reports it. (For example: when Jon killed Crossfire in 2004)
Chris H.

Jon Stewart doesn't pretend to hold any journalistic neutrality. His show is popular because he voices his opinions. Stewart is an actor, writer, and producer who just happens to have his own daily talk show. I don't know how he's able to do all those things at the same time, the guy is amazing... even if I don't really care for his humor. Something about that smirk he gives to the camera before and after every joke that just kills it for me. But he's still pretty amazing.
People's Champ

Lines around the block.
SlashBeast

Jon Stewart is not a journalist, therefore he has no need for journalistic integrity. Stewart feels highly responsible for this unfortunate case and I'm glad that this story is getting a treatment that will hopefully be respectful and showcase the horrors that reporters can undergo.
1-7

#2 - DRM You're a retard. Jon Stewart is not a journalist.
Glass

#5 - Chris H. If you ever badmouth Jon Stewart again then I'll mutilate your genitals. Don't ever go against the Jon you whore.