Neil Patrick Harris is due to host the next Oscars ceremony. First reported by Variety and BuzzFeed, the news was confirmed via a press release on Twitter on Wednesday evening.

Neil Patrick Harris
Neil Patrick Harris will make his debut turn at hosting the Oscars early next year

The 87th annual Academy Awards take place on February 22nd 2015 at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood. Harris, who plays a role in the current box office smash Gone Girl and was one of the stars of the long-running CBS sitcom ‘How I Met Your Mother’, has had some hosting experience before. He fronted the Tony awards last year, and also the Emmys in both 2013 and 2009, and has won awards in both in addition.

As for the Oscars, he played a part in the musical opening number of the 2010 ceremony. Hosting it, however, is rather more prestigious. It’s a high profile spot, and the emcee has to keep the momentum of the ceremony going and retain the attention of those inside the venue and of the millions of television viewers. If it goes wrong, it tends to stick in a lot of people’s minds. The ceremony in 2013 was hosted by ‘Family Guy’ creator Seth MacFarlane and went down like a lead balloon.

Harris reacted to the news by giving a statement "It is truly an honor and a thrill to be asked to host this year's Academy Awards. I grew up watching the Oscars and was always in such awe of some of the greats who hosted the show. To be asked to follow in the footsteps of Johnny Carson, Billy Crystal, Ellen DeGeneres, and everyone else who had the great fortune of hosting is a bucket list dream come true."

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The previous ceremony was hosted by talk show star Ellen DeGeneres back in February this year, and it attracted a record 43 million viewers.