Breaking Dawn, the final story in The Twilight Saga, will be split into two films. The blockbuster movies star, from left, Taylor Lautner, Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson (Kimberley French/Summit Entertainment/Associated Press)The blockbuster movies based on Stephenie Meyer's vampire romance The Twilight Saga will extend to five films, the studio behind the hit series has announced.

The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn is to be split into two separate films, following in the footsteps of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows and the forthcoming revamp of The Hobbit.

A two-film treatment for the series' fourth book, Breaking Dawn, had been anticipated after Summit Entertainment suggested the 900-page tome — in which Meyer wraps up the series about a teenage girl who falls in love with a young-looking vampire — was too complex to tackle in one movie.

The main stars of the series — Kristen Stewart as Bella and Robert Pattinson as Edward — had initially signed on for four films. A new deal had to be struck for a fifth.

Scriptwriter Melissa Rosenberg, who adapted the previous three stories, returns to pen the script for the two-part film finale. Bill Condon, whose credits include Dreamgirls and Gods and Monsters, will direct them.

Both of the final Twilight films will be shot back-to-back beginning later this year. The first half is slated to hit theatres in November 2011. So far, there is no release date set for the final film.

The latest instalment — third film The Twilight Saga: Eclipse — will be released in late June and early July worldwide.