With Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale now lighting up theaters, fans might assume the Crawley saga has reached its final chapter. But not so fast—series creator Julian Fellowes isn’t ready to close the door completely. In a recent interview with Entertainment Weekly, Fellowes hinted that the world of Downton could still expand, revealing that both a prequel and a spinoff remain “a possibility.”

“I’ve learned never to say never anymore,” Fellowes admitted. “You have to take it back.” While The Grand Finale wraps up the story of the current generation, Fellowes is open to revisiting the franchise—just in a different historical context. “I’m not against the idea,” he said, “but it would have to be in a different period of history so that their problems were different and they were facing different issues.”

Spanning six seasons and three films, Downton Abbey chronicled the lives of the aristocratic Crawley family and their loyal staff from 1912 to 1930. Fellowes chose to end the story before the rise of World War II, explaining, “I didn’t really want to get into the Nazis and Germany and the lead-up to the Second World War. I wanted to leave at a time when that had not yet become apparent as a threat.”

So while The Grand Finale may mark the end of an era, it might not be the end of Downton Abbey. Whether it’s a glimpse into the Crawleys’ past or a look at the next generation, Fellowes has made one thing clear: the legacy of Downton could still have more stories to tell.

Julian Fellowes Remains Busy With The Gilded Age

Image via Karolina Wojtasik/HBO

Downton Abbey fans in need of a replacement show need look no further than Fellowes’ own The Gilded Age, which takes place in America in the late 19th century, in the age of the robber barons. The HBO series was initially conceived as a prequel to Downton and would have focused on Lord Grantham and Cora’s romance and eventual marriage as the Earl and Countess of Grantham, but this version was ultimately discarded in favor of the current, standalone version.

However, despite The Gilded Age dropping all connections to Downton Abbey, some fans are still holding out hope that the HBO series might add a young Cora to its cast, a desire that has not escaped Fellowes. “We’ll see,” he said about the possibility of a crossover. “I’ve also had requests for prequels of different characters. You just have to see what turns up, really. It isn’t like being a banker; there isn’t a logical progression. You never know what’s coming.” The Gilded Age recently wrapped its third season and has been renewed for a fourth.

Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale is now playing in theaters.