Quentin Tarantino’s Django Unchained had been rumored as a surprise addition to November’s Rome Film Festival, but it never materialized on the roster, Deadline said.

In October, fest director Marco Mueller told Reuters, “You will see Tarantino soon, here. You will see him here soon for a big surprise… You will see that Django will be stepping on the stage of the auditorium.”

Fast-forward a couple of months and the fest now plans to honor Tarantino with a Lifetime Achievement Award on January 4 at a gala Django screening. (Although the 7th Rome Film Festival concluded on November 17, the honor will evidently act as an extension of that edition).

Composer Ennio Morricone will present the award to Tarantino.