UPDATE 2-Comedian Kevin Hart to host 2019 Academy Awards

Hart, 39, who also starred in 2017 film "Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle" follows talk show host Jimmy Kimmel who took on the gig in 2018 and 2017.

Comedian Kevin Hart will host the next Academy Awards ceremony in February 2019, the "Ride Along" actor said in an Instagram post on Tuesday.

"I am so happy to say that the day has finally come for me to host the Oscars," Hart wrote. The Academy Awards are the film industry's highest honors.

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, which organizes the Oscars and normally announces the host, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Hart, 39, who also starred in 2017 film "Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle" follows talk show host Jimmy Kimmel who took on the gig in 2018 and 2017.

"I am blown away simply because this has been a goal on my list for a long time," Hart wrote on his Instagram page.

The job of hosting the Oscars is one of the most prestigious but also the most difficult in show business as hosts have to navigate the expectations of the A-list audience in the theater and millions tuning in on television, with a combination of topical and insider jokes.

Hart, who is African-African, is one of just a handful of black Oscar hosts over the past 90 years, including Chris Rock, Whoopi Goldberg and Sammy Davis Jr.

His selection comes at a time when the Academy is under scrutiny for increasing diversity among its own membership, and among the films and performers nominated for Oscars.

Oscar nominations will be announced on Jan. 22, with the televised ceremony taking place live in Hollywood on Feb. 24.

(With inputs from agencies.)