For those of you who know me personally or have just read a sampling of my articles, you surely know how big a fan I am of the Richard Linklater, Julie Delpy, and Ethan Hawke mash-up that takes the form of the Before Sunrise series. Watching Before Sunrise and its sequel Before Sunset for the first time in college, not only did I fall in love with Hawke (Troy Dire who?) and decide to make Delpy my personal hero, but I also felt these films perfectly encapsulated attraction and romance.

Given their cliff-hanger-esque endings, it’s no wonder that when news was announced that the three would be re-teaming to make this series a trilogy, I was ripe with excitement. This excitement turned to pure joy when it became clear that not only had the three main players decided to make a third, but also that they already had. Yup, under the guise of script-writing and what not in the preproduction part, the Linklater corralled his script partners Hawke and Delpy to make the highly coveted third.

So now that the movie in question–Before Midnight–has already been made, when will we (honestly, I’m really more concerned with me here) get to see this thing?! Well, behold: Richard Linklater has spoken; spoken to the LA Times to be exact. And he has answered my question with a placating “soon.” Apparently he’s eyeing an early 2013 festival release, and as The Playlist posits, the other two’s release at the Berlin Film Festival a rather safe bet.

So, um, is it too soon to buy our plan tickets?!