The announcement, coming ahead of the June 30 release of the third film “The Twilight Saga: Eclipse,” was not a surprise. The closely held studio had signaled that author Stephenie Meyer’s 900-page “Breaking Dawn” book was too complex to be adapted into a single movie.

But it had reportedly signed the cast for only four movies, and had to renegotiate costly deals with the newly minted A-list actors before it could officially announce the new plan. The films will shoot back-to-back in the fall, with Bill Condon directing from a script being written by Melissa Rosenberg. A Summit spokesman said there was no release date scheduled yet for the fifth film. And yes, all the same lovelorn characters — including Bella (played by Kristen Stewart), Edward (Robert Pattinson) and Jacob (Taylor Lautner) — will be on hand.