Breaking Down?

Summit Entertainment wants "The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn" to be split into two films reports THR, Esq..

Author Stephenie Meyer has already signed off on the plan, director Bill Condon is locked for two--But since the cast wasn't signed for a fifth movie, renegotiations have begun and they are understandably demanding more money.

Leads Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson, and Taylor Lautner are all getting big raises to return and the studio is said to be close to inking agreements with them. Peter Facinelli and Billy Burke are also set to return as Edward and Bella's fathers respectively.

The hold outs are co-stars Kellan Lutz and Ashley Greene who're apparently asking for at least ten times what they made on the first movie after initial lowball offers from Summit. As both the actors and characters aren't considered essential, at least one of them may be replaced (ala Rachelle Lefevre with Bryce Dallas Howard) to make a point says a source.

"We may have a situation where one of them is thrown out on the street to make a point. This thing is gonna be two movies, with or without the cast intact." .

Yikes!!

Budgets for the films continue to rise. The first "Twilight" came in at the very economical $37 million, "New Moon " is at $50 million, and at last report Eclipse is costing $65 million.

Shooting on the two Breaking Dawn films is slated to begin in the autumn, with both movies being shot back-to-back ahead of possible releases in November 2011 and summer 2012.

Stay Tuned...