If you’ve been following the progress of The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn at all, you know it’s been long-expected and long-assumed that the final chapter to the film series would be split into two films.

The move was expected as it would be in an attempt to cover as much of the story’s details as possible and of course to pile as much cash into the bank as they possibly could before the franchise’s end.

In a press release put out by Summit Entertainment today, it was finally made official: Breaking Dawn will indeed be a two-part movie. The film will go into production some time this fall, and the first of these two movies will be released in November of 2011.

Returning cast includes Kristen Stewart (Panic Room) as Bella, Robert Pattinson (Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire) as Edward, and Taylor Lautner (The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl) as Jacob. They’ll be joined by Billy Burke (Mafia!) as Charlie Swan as well as returning members of the Cullen Family including Peter Facinelli (Can’t Hardly Wait) as Carlisle, Elizabeth Reaser (The Family Stone) as Esme, Jackson Rathbone (The Last Airbender) as Jasper, Nikki Reed (Thirteen) as Rosalie, Ashley Greene (The Apparition) as Alice, and Kellan Lutz (Generation Kill) as Emmett.

Both parts of The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn will be directed by Bill Condon (Gods and Monsters). The next film in the franchise, Eclipse, will be released this upcoming June 30, 2010.