Keira Knightley due at London Film Festival opener

The Associated Press, Wednesday, October 13, 2010, 1:20am (PDT)

LONDON (AP) -- Keira Knightley and Carey Mulligan are due on the red carpet for the start of the 54th London Film Festival.

The pair star alongside Andrew Garfield in opening-night film "Never Let Me Go." It's an adaptation of Kazuo Ishiguro's novel about boarding school friends who discover their dark fate.

The festival opens Wednesday and includes more than 300 films from 67 countries.

Several have already made a splash with critics. They include Darren Aronofsky's ballet thriller "Black Swan," starring Natalie Portman, and "The King's Speech," with Colin Firth playing Britain's King George VI as he struggles to overcome a severe stutter.

The festival closes Oct. 28 with Danny Boyle's "127 Hours," based on the true story of arm-amputating rock climber Aron Ralston.