When is it too soon to start talking about a filmmaker's next project? Before the current movie arrives in theaters? After it's finished up its theatrical run? And do any of those questions matter when it comes to an auteur whose every flick is awaited with emotion that ranges from breathless anticipation to "How dare you deprive us any longer!"

Sure, Quentin Tarantino's "Inglourious Basterds" is still in theaters abroad -- with a global box-office tally over $300 million and counting -- but here in the States, attention has already turned to what the writer/director's next project will be. When MTV News had the chance to chat with QT recently, we had to get the lowdown from the man himself.

"I'm thinking about a few different things right now," Tarantino teased.

As he explained, he's not yet ready to commit to one project for a simple reason. "My movie's still at the theaters," he said. "You work really hard for your baby, and when it's still out there you're still kind of emotionally with it."

Would anyone dare ask a woman in the delivery room, cradling her newborn, when in the world she plans on popping out a couple more bambinos? Fanboys and entertainment journalists -- we have no shame!

Tarantino did rule out a [article id="1627141"]third "Kill Bill" film[/article] as his next project, saying that there's not yet a script, just "ideas and notes," and that he's "about one movie away" from returning to the martial-arts epic.

There's also the possibility of a spaghetti western dealing with American slavery, which Tarantino called "definitely one of my roses" in the creative garden sprouting out of his noggin. What about long-standing rumors of an adaptation of the "Modesty Blaise" comic strip? Or a [article id="1626945"]second installment of "Basterds,"[/article] which Tarantino told us Brad Pitt wants to do and for which the director has many ideas?

All seem like decent possibilities. For now, though, QT is keeping his focus on the original "Basterds," and we enter an awards season buzzing about his film. "Especially if it gets awards attention, that gives it all more of a heartbeat," he said. "The idea isn't to ditch it as soon as possible. It's going to be reduced to a DVD sitting in a stack of DVDs sitting on someone's coffee table soon enough."

Check out everything we've got on "Inglourious Basterds."

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