Marc Forster, who has given us “Finding Neverland” and “Monster’s Ball,” will direct the next James Bond adventure film, as announced Wednesday by Sony.

“I have always been drawn to different kinds of stories and I have also always been a Bond fan, so it is very exciting to take on this challenge,” German-born Marc Forster said in a statement from Sony Pictures Tuesday.

“The new direction that the Bond character has taken offers a director a host of new possibilities,” Forster added.

The 22nd James Bond movie will star actor Daniel Craig, who will reprise his role from 2006’s smash hit “Casino Royale.” The film has not received an official title yet and goes by a provisional name – “Bond 22.”

The movie will begin filming in December at Pinewood Studios in London. It is slated for a November 2008 release.

Forster will start work with screenwriter Paul Haggis on a draft of the screenplay written by Neil Purvis and Robert Wade. Sony is one of the studios behind the Bond franchise.

Forster, 37, has directed “Monster’s Ball” (2001), which earned Halle Berry an Academy Award for best actress for her performance in the film. 2004’s “Finding Neverland” brought leading actor Johnny Depp his second Academy Award nomination.

“Stranger than Fiction,” released in November 2006, is his latest film, while “The Kite Runner,” a movie based on the novel by Khaled Hosseini, is in post-production.

Amy Pascal, co-chairman of Sony Pictures, said of Forster’s signing to direct the next Bond movie: “He's an actor's director. He approaches material with intelligence and taste. What makes him the perfect choice for `Bond 22' is that he will bring to this film all the elements Bond audiences expect - action, humor, suspense and thrills.”