"Life of Pi" to Open New York Film Festival 2012 (VIDEO)

The New York Film Festival is a month away, but the announcements are already underway.

On Monday, the Film Society of Lincoln Center announced that Ang Lee's "Life of Pi" will open the film festival. The film is based on the hugely popular best-selling novel by Yann Martell of the same title. The novel "Life of Pi" sold more than seven million copies.

"Life of Pi" tells the story of a young boy who is stranded on a lifeboat with a Bengal Tiger. The film will be screened in 3D, making it the first 3D film to make its official world premiere at the New York Film Festival.

"Life of Pi" will also be Lee's third picture to play at the New York Film Festival following such hits as "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" which closed the festival in 2000. Lee's "The Ice Storm" opened the festival in 1997. With "Life of Pi," Lee also becomes the fourth director to have more than one film open the New York Film Festival after Robert Altman, Pedro Almodovar, and Francois Truffaut.

The New York Film Festival is known to have such high profile films as "The Social Network," ""Mystic River," and "Carnage" open the festival.

Only one other film has been officially announced as part of the festival. That film is Robert Zemekis' "Flight" which stars Denzel Washington and is slated to close the 50^th annual New York Film Festival.

"Life of Pi" stars Suraj Sharma as Pi and includes Tobey Maguire, Rafe Spall, Gerard Depardieu and Irrfan Khan. "Life of Pi" will be out in theaters on November 21.

The New York Film Festival starts on September 28 and runs through October 14. A scene of the film was shown earlier in the summer before Ridley Scott's "Prometheus."