Larry David surprised all of us with the news that, rumors be damned, Curb Your Enthusiasm would officially return for a ninth season on HBO, however light on details it seemed. Now, executive producer Jeff Schaffer says “it won’t be long” before fans have new episodes to look forward to, and perhaps a full ten at that.

The Hollywood Reporter spoke with Schaffer, who himself takes a leading executive producer role in the new season between fellow alum David Mandel (Veep) and Alec Berg (Silicon Valley), both squirreling out what time they can between episodes. Schaffer and David have already moved into a “practical” phase of planning Season 9, aiming for a full ten episodes, as with prior years.

As to when the new episodes might get rolling, or even premiere (we’d bet around mid-2017), Schaffer had some encouraging, if cryptic thoughts:

It won’t be long. It won’t be long. Geologically speaking, it’ll be a blink of an eye. Whether the next season of Curb came out one year later, three years later, five years later, 20 years later — detailing the petty behavior of the selfish and the self-serving is an evergreen business.

The plan remains to work around the schedules of Jeff Garlin, Susie Essman and J.B. Smoove (who first telegraphed a Curb return was imminent), but might Curb Your Enthusiasm Season 9 get filming before the end of the year?

Check Out 100 TV Facts You May Not Know!

More From ScreenCrush