This year’s Oscar telecast to feature a tribute to James Bond’s 50th anniversary

As you can see from the above image, 007 is not exactly Oscar bait. The long-running spy franchise is made for entertainment and not awards which is clear from the Roger Moore era of films. But, since Daniel Craig took the Bond mantle, the movies have been of a much higher caliber and yet still have no nominations. Maybe this year will change that with the Academy hard-pressed to ignore the $1 billion global box office for SKYFALL.

But, whether SKYFALL gets a nomination or a win this year, the Academy will recognize Ian Fleming‘s creation with a special sequence to honor the 50th anniversary of Bond on the big screen.

Oscar producers Craig Zadan and Neil Meron had this to say about the sequence: “We are very happy to include a special sequence on our show saluting the Bond films on their 50th birthday. Starting with ‘Dr. No’ back in 1962, the 007 movies have become the longest-running motion picture franchise in history and a beloved global phenomenon.”

No word on whether it will be a video montage or something more involved on stage, but with the larger pool of Best Picture nominees and Javier Bardem‘s scene-stealing villain, this may be Bond’s big year.

The Oscars will air live on ABC on February 24, 2013.