William Boyd to pen new James Bond novel

William Boyd, the British novelist who wrote Restless and Any Human Heart, will be the next to tackle the task of bringing James Bond to life.

HarperCollins has announced it has authorized Boyd to write the next instalment in the story of the suave superspy.

Original writer Ian Fleming penned 14 James Bond novels, but his 007 character lived on in both films and books after the author died in 1964.

Both Sebastian Faulks and Jeffrey Deaver have written authorized Bond novels – respectively Devil May Care and Carte Blanche.

Boyd said he plans to set the new Bond story in 1969 and create a "classic Bond."

"When the Ian Fleming estate invited me to write the new James Bond novel I accepted at once," Boyd said in a statement.

"For me the prospect appeared incredibly exciting and stimulating — a once-in-a-lifetime challenge. In fact my father introduced me to the James Bond novels in the 1960s and I read them all then — From Russia with Love being my favourite."

Boyd told the British press he admires Fleming’s approach, which relied on short, tight plots.

The yet-to-be-titled novel will be published in autumn 2013, 60 years after the publication of the first Bond novel, Casino Royale by Jonathan Cape, Fleming's original publisher.

Boyd has adapted several of his novels for the screen, including A Good Man in Africa and The Trench, which he also directed.

"It turns out that I've worked with three of the actors who have played James Bond over the years. They've all starred in films that I've written: Sean Connery in A Good Man in Africa, Pierce Brosnan in Mr Johnson, and Daniel Craig in The Trench," he said.

"The idea that these somewhat random connections with Fleming and Bond should culminate in my writing a new James Bond novel is irresistibly appealing."