According to Entertainment Weekly Warner Bros has finally confirmed that the movie to be made from J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows will in fact be not one, but two movies, both directed by David Yates. Yates is the director of two of the previous Potter franchise movies: Order of the Phoenix, released in 2007, and Half Blood Prince, to be released in November 2008.

The Deathly Hallows movies will be released six months apart in November 2010 and May 2011 but will be filmed at the same time. The principal actors of the series are all confirmed for the final episodes, and are currently filming the sixth film, Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince.

The reasons given for the split were the length and density of the book and the difficulty in condensing it into a shorter screenplay. I'm sure finances played a small role as well.

The speculation from fans was immediate: where will the break be?

My guess? The last scene of Movie 7.1 will be Dobby's burial at Shell Cottage, the emotional pull of that moment standing in contrast to the action filled escape from Malfoy Manor that preceded it. The less compelling, but totally necessary, details of the Gringotts break-in can wait until the beginning of Movie 7.2.

Any thoughts?