It's probably fair to say that M Night Shyamalan's star has waned somewhat over the last few years, but it's easy to forget that around the time of and , he was widely regarded as one of Hollywood's most exciting talents.

Perhaps then, that's why he's now talking about the possibility of a sequel to that latter movie, and suggesting that it might become a reality sooner rather than later.

"It's getting closer," he said in an interview with Collider . "Slowly I’m getting a story in my head that I feel like is able to tell what I’m feeling right now."

"It's the story of a guy who kind of wakes up with a little grey feeling in the morning," continues the director. "I love that character. It’s something that I feel and I want to talk more about that character."

Good news for fans of the original then. However, perhaps even more encouraging is Shyamalan's talk of a potential sequel to , and how it might be too big an ask at this stage…

"Those are costly movies to make and they take a lot of time," he said of the critical flop. "I made , which took a long time, so it kind of took that two-and-a-half to three-year period. So, I’m trying to sit down and see if I want to do a really small movie next."

After Earth opens in UK cinemas on 7 June 2013.