TWO DEATHLY HALLOWS FILMS!!??

The seventh and final Harry Potter novel will be adapted for the big screen in two parts, reports suggest.

Producer David Heyman told the Los Angeles Times it had been impossible to cram Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows' 608 pages into a single movie. "Unlike every other book, you cannot remove elements of this book," he said.

Fans of the series have been left disappointed in the past when key scenes, including Quidditch matches, were excised for the film adaptations. Star Daniel Radcliffe told the Los Angeles Times that splitting the final book in two was the only sensible option for the film-makers.

"There have been compartmentalised subplots in the other books that have made them easier to cut - although those cuts were still to the horror of some fans," he told the paper. The seventh book doesn't really have any subplots. It's one driving, pounding story from the word go."

The first will reportedly be released in November 2010, with the second part hitting screens the following May.

The first five movies have made $4.5 billion (£2.2 billion) worldwide - making it the biggest film franchise in box office history, surpassing both James Bond and Star Wars.