It’s been a well-kept secret ever since it was announced in 2009 that the last chapter of J.K. Rowling’s fantasy franchise Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows would be split into two chapters. Now, Entertainment Weekly (via HollywoodNews.com) has revealed the exact split point for the two movies in their annual Fall Movie Preview issue. (If you haven’t read the final book yet, then this information won’t mean much to you, but if you have read the book and don’t want to know where the first chapter will end, then SPOILERS AHEAD!)
According to the issue’s write-up on the grand finale:
“Part I will end at about Chapter 24 of the book, with Voldemort gaining possession of the Elder Wand, one of the three Deathly Hallows that allow the bearer to conquer death.”
This is quite a bit later than many Harry Potter fans were expecting, so one can speculate that the 2nd Chapter, released July 15, 2011, will mostly involve the Battle of Hogwarts and the resolution of the entire series.
Harry Potter star Daniel Radcliffe once again graces the cover of Entertainment Weekly‘s Fall Preview guide–you can see a larger version of the cover on the EW site–similar to two years ago when he graced the cover for “Half-Blood Prince” before it was delayed until the following summer. The latest issue of EW also has new promotional images from “Deathly Hallows” of which you can view scans here.