When the trailer for 10 Cloverfield Lane dropped unexpectedly, it caught fans who had been not-so-patiently waiting for a follow-up to 2008’s Cloverfield completely off-guard. But is it really a follow-up? It doesn’t seem like a direct sequel. Is there something connecting Lane to Cloverfield that we won’t know about until the March 11 release date?

After producer J.J. Abrams referred to Lane as a “blood relative” to the original film, one of the more interesting ideas floated was that there would be no connection other than a tone and some sci-fi fixings. That way, Clover-verse would become a kind of modern-day Twilight Zone, with Abrams playing the role of Rod Serling.

When I asked Abrams about this during a press day for 10 Cloverfield Lane, he was hesitant to categorize the two films as anything at all. “I think that would be presumptuous, because we’re talking about this movie and comparing it to Cloverfield, but I would be lying if I didn’t say there was something else that, if we’re lucky enough to do it, could be really cool that connects some stories.”

Once 10 Cloverfield Lane hits theaters, we’ll be able to see what it shares with the original, and then no doubt speculate wildly where a third movie could go to connect the first two.

Abrams’ only clue is that there is a “larger conceit” at play here. “This is just this movie, and it’s only two films that we’re talking about right now,” Abrams said. “There is something else that we’d like to do, and hopefully we’ll get a shot.”

For more on 10 Cloverfield Lane check out the new issue of Entertainment Weekly, on stands this week.