Although he announced last month that he would soon retreat from the human world to save the lives of more sympathetic creatures, it seems Jon Stewart can’t quite bring himself to quit the news game. Deadline reports the former Daily Show host has just signed a four-year production pact with HBO, wherein he will create digital content for the pay-cable channel’s multiple online platforms. The first phase of the plan, in which Stewart will “view events through his unique prism,” will focus on short-form digital content before moving into other projects that will be announced at a later date.
Deadline doesn’t have any specific details on the video project, such as whether Stewart will just post a lot of GIFs, or if he’ll have time to conduct interviews with the sons of turd miners. But both parties are pleased with the agreement, with HBO president Michael Lombardo saying the network is “thrilled to welcome back [Stewart’s] immense talents in this next chapter of his career.” And the reduced workload works for Stewart, who joked that “Appearing on television 22 minutes a night clearly broke me. I’m pretty sure I can produce a few minutes of content every now and again.”
Stewart is also being tasked with “developing a new technology that will allow him to produce timely short-form digital content.” But for that, he’ll partner with OTOY Inc., a “pioneering cloud graphics company,” so we can assume the mechanism won’t just involve Stewart uploading Vines via his iPhone. The deal also includes a first-look option for TV and film ventures, so it sounds like Stewart could find himself in front of—or behind—a camera again soon.