Martin Freeman plays Arthur Dent alongside co-star Mos Def (right)

The film is now on release in the UK - 26 years after Douglas Adams' original radio series was made.

He followed it up with a set of books, which he described as a trilogy in four, later five, parts.

Robbie Stamp told the Financial Times: "There are more books in the series and there could be a really good trilogy."

The option was being considered by film giant Disney, which has made the new movie, the newspaper said.

Robert Mitchell of Disney-owned Buena Vista International (UK) later told the BBC News website that sequels were a possibility given the wealth of source material, although no decision had yet been made.

Rockwell (centre) plays Zaphod Beeblebrox, president of the galaxy

The big-screen version is the latest incarnation of the cult sci-fi comedy that began as a radio show in 1977 before becoming books and a TV series.

The Office actor Martin Freeman stars as Arthur Dent, who travels through space with an array of eccentric companions after Earth is destroyed.

It also features Bill Nighy, John Malkovich, Sam Rockwell and rapper Mos Def.

The film has received mixed reviews from the critics, as it struggles to contain Adams' deceptively complex work into a two-hour movie that is appealing both to newcomers and cult fans.