Potter director 'agonised' over film split

Director David Yates "agonised" over the decision to split 'Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows' into two films.

The filmmaker always knew he would never be able to fit the final instalment of the boy wizard franchise - based on the best-selling books by J.K. Rowling - into one movie, but couldn't think at first of a way to split it in two.

He explained: "I'm not going to tell you the point at which we split it, but I can say that it's the obvious place to do it. It just makes sense to end the first part there. It's a natural turning point in the story. Everything is building up to it.

"Having said that, deciding where to split the films was something we all agonised over and it could still change - the final script isn't written yet. But I don't think that's likely. It's really the perfect ending to a film, tense and dramatic."

It is thought the first film will deal with Harry's hunt for horcruxes - magical objects that conceal part of Lord Voldemort's soul - while the final film will build up to the final showdown between Harry and Voldemort.