Warren Beatty’s long-developing film about legendary director Howard Hughes is finally preparing to hit theaters, eyeing a fall / winter release this year — that’s excellent news, not only because the actor hasn’t had a major role since 1998's Bulworth, but because the Hughes film has long been a passion project for Beatty. But the untitled Hughes film isn’t the only project he has in mind, as Beatty is “very serious” about possibly returning to one of his older, beloved roles. Unfortunately, it’s not a sequel to The Parallax View.

Beatty is mulling a sequel to Dick Tracy, the colorful noir in which he played the eponymous comic strip detective. Though reviews were mixed, Dick Tracy made a hefty sum at the box office, thanks in part to a great cast that included Al Pacino and Dick Van Dyke. Per Variety, producer Arnon Milchan accepted the American Legends of Cinema Award from Beatty at CinemaCon, where the New Regency exec revealed that the actor / director is “very serious” about a Dick Tracy sequel.

When Beatty himself was asked about the prospect after the awards ceremony, he said, “I’m serious about it, but I am slow about these things.” For his stature, the star of classics like Shampoo and Bonnie & Clyde has had a fairly atypical career, appearing in only four films since Dick Tracy hit theaters in 1990. Beatty may take his time with projects, but Milchan says that they are discussing the sequel and it could be ready to hit theaters in just two years. As for the 26-year delay, Beatty has considered making a sequel for years, but it only became possible in 2013 when he cleared up a dispute over the film’s rights.

Meanwhile, Beatty scripted and directed the upcoming Howard Hughes film, a long-developing passion project that features the actor in the title role as an aging version of the legendary director, entrepreneur, aviator and engineer. Like Beatty himself, the biopic isn’t typical; instead, it focuses on Hughes much later in life, and his relationship with an aspiring young actress. A specific date has yet to be set for that film (which is honestly more exciting than the prospect of a Dick Tracy sequel), but New Regency is eyeing an awards season release this fall or winter.

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