Stranger than Fiction is a fantasy romance comedy-drama film directed by Marc Forster, written by Zach Helm, and starring Will Ferrell, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Dustin Hoffman, Queen Latifah, and Emma Thompson. The story follows Harold Crick, an IRS agent who hears a mysterious disembodied female voice narrating his life and learns that his character will soon die. He frantically searches for ways to prevent his death while discovering the voice belongs to author Karen Eiffel. The film was released by Sony Pictures on November 10, 2006, and received positive critical reception upon its release.