The Dark Knight Rises Crosses $300M Worldwide; Robert Pattinson Takes Lead in The Rover: Biz Break

Also in Thursday morning's round-up of news briefs, following news of today's Venice Film Festival lineup comes word Ben Affleck's Argo is heading to another European film event. British independent films score their best numbers in years; and a Weinstein Company veteran returns to head their publicity department.

Robert Pattinson to Star in The Rover
Guy Pearce is also attached in the project by Animal Kingdom writer-director David Michod. Set in Australia, the story is a futuristic Western about Eric who has "left everything, everyone and every semblance of human kindness behind him, as he’s forced to join an injured gang member, Rey, to hunt down Rey’s gang after they steal the last of Eric’s possessions," THR reports.

Dark Knight Rises Crosses $300M Mark Worldwide
The film also had the biggest opening day of the year in France where it took in $2.7 million. The tentpole opened in the U.S. and 17 other markets let weekend, moving into an additional 40 this week, THR reports.

Ben Affleck's Argo Heads to San Sebastian
The film will have its world premiere at the Spanish film festival in September, screening out of competition. The film, a hostage thriller set in Tehran in 1979, is Affleck's third as a director, Variety reports.

U.K. Independent Films Have Best Year in a Decade
British independent films performed better last year than at any other time in more than a decade with overall box office revenues breaking the £1 billion barrier for the first time, new figures show, The Guardian reports.

Dani Weinstein Returns to The Weinstein Company as Publicity Chief
She left in 2010 to join ID PR, but is now returning as president of publicity at TWC. She is replacing a position left by Sarah Greenberg Roberts who left earlier this year, Deadline reports.