BREAKING BAD is currently filming its fifth and final season premiere in New Mexico and Walter White himself Bryan Cranston has the scoop on how it will all go down.

The Emmy-winning actor told EW that AMC has in fact decided to split the final 16 episodes into two half-seasons, the first of which will begin its 8-episode run this July.

We’re splitting it…we’re going to shoot the first eight, then take a four-month production break, then the rest will air next year.

As to what to expect when the hit series returns to AMC, Cranston had the scoop:

We pick up right where we left off..We’re cleaning up the pieces from last season’s huge ordeal where Gus Fring was forced to meet his maker. It’s not as easy as Walter thought. And as we’ve discovered over the years, you don’t really know who Walter White is. I’m still discovering who he is and I’m trying to allow myself to be open to him going darker and darker. There’s physical danger to himself and his family, plus there’s the emotional danger due to his anger and hubris. It’s about the evil that men do and where that takes him.

By airing BREAKING BAD’s final season over the course of the next 15 months AMC not only sets itself up to gain a massive ratings draw for the next 2 years, but also allows BREAKING BAD to be eligible for 2012 and 2013′s awards season.