Kevin Hart to host Oscars: 'The opportunity of a lifetime'

Dec. 5 (UPI) -- Kevin Hart will host the 91st annual Academy Awards on Feb. 24, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has announced.

Hart confirmed the news on Instagram Tuesday where he commented on taking on the duties as host of the event for the first time in his career.

"For years I have been asked if I would ever host the Oscars and my answer was always the same...I said that it would be the opportunity of a lifetime for me as a comedian and that it will happen when it's supposed to," Hart said alongside an image of an Oscar statuette.

"I am blown away simply because this has been a goal on my list for a long time," he continued. "I will be sure to make this years Oscars a special one."

Jimmy Kimmel previously served as host in 2017 and 2018. The ceremony, which awards excellence in film, will be broadcast on ABC. The 2019 Oscar nominations are set to be announced on Jan. 22.

The Academy has promised that the upcoming award show will not run over three hours as it has in previous years. Select categories will also be presented before the live audience during commercial breaks and then edited to be aired later on the broadcast.

A previously proposed Most Popular Film Oscar category has been shelved.