Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, the final book from J K Rowling's [Images] mega-selling series, will be split into two films.

After months of speculation, Warner Bros has confirmed that the last book in the Harry Potter [Images] franchise will be filmed as Part I and Part II. The first installment will release in November 2010, and the second in May 2011.

Long-time Potter producer David Heyman said it was a difficult decision to make for the studio.

'I swear to you it was born out of purely creative reasons. Unlike every other book, you cannot remove elements of this book,' E! Online quoted Heyman, as telling the Times.

Daniel Radcliffe [Images], the 18-year-old actor who plays the title character in the wizardry epic, said it was essential to preserve elements of the story.

'I think it's the only way you can do it without cutting out a huge portion of the book,' he said.

The new films, which will simply be called Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part I and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part II, will be filmed concurrently by director David Yates, who previously helmed both the series' fifth and sixth instalments, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix and Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince.'

The Half-Blood Prince is due to release in November.