Darren Star tells PEOPLE why he chose to bring Emily’s love story to Italy for part 2 of season 4

Lily Collins’s Emily Cooper becomes less Emily in Paris and more Emily in Rome in part 2 of season 4, but the show’s creator says the international journey helps expand the story.

Darren Star “wanted to expand the footprint of the show” and “broaden out the universe” in its fourth installment, he tells PEOPLE on the red carpet at the premiere for season 4 part 2 in Rome on Tuesday, Sept. 10.

“But also, Rome to me is like the other great romantic city in Europe, and it’s a bit of a yin and yang to Paris,” Star says. “And also the story took us here. You know, Italy is — just like France — sort of known for fashion, design, style, in a different way.”

Star also says that the second half of season 4 evokes the likeness of Audrey Hepburn in Collin’s titular character.

They were “definitely sort of inspired by [Hepburn] and referencing and all that,” he says. “Throughout the show, and not just in Italy, but in Megève, [France] in the Alps, we sort of nod to Charade, her outfit in Charade. It was fun.”

Lily Collins as Emily and Eugenio Franceschini as Marcello in ‘Emily in Paris’ season 4 part 2.Giulia Parmigiani/Netflix

Star also weighs in on a potential fifth season of the hit series, which premiered in 2020. “I hope so. There are so many ways it can go.”

He played coy, though, on what could be next in Emily and her friends’ — Gabriel (Lucas Bravo), Mindy (Ashley Park), Camille (Camille Razat) and Alfie (Lucien Laviscount) — lives. “There are some ideas. It’s really a fun story to keep telling.”

Eugenio Franceschini as Marcello and Lily Collins as Emily in ‘Emily in Paris’ season 4 part 2.Giulia Parmigiani/Netflix

Part 2 of season 4 picks up after Emily and Gabriel finally caught up with each other and start a relationship — but there are still plenty of roadblocks in the way to their happily ever after.

According to the official synopsis, “Emily and Gabriel’s chemistry is undeniable as they work together towards a Michelin star [for his restaurant], but two big secrets threaten to undo everything they’ve dreamed of. As old patterns clash with new complications, Emily feels drawn to a potential new love interest… and a new city.”

Gabriel’s ex Camille (Camille Razat) is not actually pregnant, though, so that’s one thing off their plate. Bravo told PEOPLE he felt “a sense of relief” at that reveal.

“I felt like that pregnancy, it was a promise of more chaos or more drama and a new obstacle, which is sad because a baby should never be that,” he said. “Since Gabriel has been in love with Emily since the moment he opened that door, I felt like that pregnancy was getting in the way of that.”

Part 2 of Emily in Paris season 4 premieres Thursday, Sept. 12 on Netflix, and part 1 is now streaming.