Ross Katz has signed on to direct the Nicholas Sparks adaptation The Choice for Lionsgate, which is scheduled to begin production this October in Wilmington, North Carolina.

Published in 2007, Nicholas Sparks' The Choice follows a man and a woman who first meet as neighbors in a coastal town in North Carolina, whose relationship blossoms into a romance neither of them imagined would happen.

Bryan Sipe is writing the adapted screenplay, with the author producing through his new Nicholas Sparks Productions company, alongside Theresa Park and Peter Safran.

The project marks the 11th Nicholas Sparks novel to be adapted for a feature film, joining other hit adaptations such as Message in a Bottle, A Walk to Remember, The Notebook, Dear John, The Lucky One and last year's Safe Haven. The author currently has two adaptations in post-production, The Best of Me and The Longest Ride.

Ross Katz made his directorial debut with the HBO TV movie Taking Chance.