In the 2021 film “No Time to Die,” Daniel Craig repeats one of the James Bond franchise’s most enduring lines to Léa Seydoux: “We have all the time in the world.” 

Well, not quite.

Now that Amazon has tapped Denis Villeneuve as the franchise’s next director, the pace is about to accelerate significantly on the 26th outing of James Bond. Even still, Amazon is looking at a 2028 release date for Bond 26. Anything sooner would be impossible to pull off, given the film’s scale, sources say.

Amazon declined to comment for this story.

French-Canadian helmer Villeneuve beat out four European directors — Edward Berger, Edgar Wright, Paul King and Jonathan Nolan — for the coveted job. Now, Amazon will move fast to attach a writer, and then an actor who will slip into Agent 007’s shoes.

Insiders say that the studio and producers are interested in casting a British actor under the age of 30, with Jacob Elordi (“Saltburn”), Tom Holland (“Spider-Man”) and Harris Dickinson (“Babygirl”) at the top of the list. (Elordi is Australian, but that would not be a deal-breaker as far as Amazon is concerned; remember Aussie George Lazenby starred in “On Her Majesty’s Secret Service.”) While there has been speculation that Aaron Taylor-Johnson or Henry Cavill would be possible heirs to Craig, they are 35 and 42, respectively, and thus unlikely to fit the mandate. So, too, is fan-favorite Idris Elba, 52, who has ducked Bond speculation for years. (No meetings have happened at this stage.)

Alfonso Cuarón was an early contender to direct, and Bond producer David Heyman pushed hard to make that happen, given that the two had worked together on the third “Harry Potter” movie. But Cuarón removed himself from competition, choosing to focus on other projects, including the Charlize Theron-starrer “Jane.” That film, which is also on a fast track at Amazon, is awaiting a draft of the script from Jack Thorne, who penned the “Enola Holmes” trilogy. (It is unclear if Cuarón would direct or only produce “Jane.”)

Initially, Amazon was very interested in Christopher Nolan, who is Jonathan’s brother, even if that meant breaking a decades-long rule of not allowing a Bond director to have final cut. Until now, the Broccoli family held tight control of the franchise’s creative direction, and ultimately had final say. But Barbara Broccoli and her half-brother, Michael Wilson, relinquished the reins earlier this year and now have only a financial stake in the property. Either way, Nolan is tied up on his next project, “The Odyssey,” which stars Holland, for at least a year. 

Villeneuve is currently quite busy, too, planning to film “Dune: Messiah” later this year to make an expected December 2026 release date. For his part, Villeneuve has a one-off deal on Bond, meaning he is not locked in for a sequel, and does not have final cut. The last director to helm two Bond films back to back was Sam Mendes with 2012’s “Skyfall” and 2015’s “Spectre.”

Amazon has a short list of writers who will chart the future course for the man with the license to kill as he makes his debut with Amazon after decades at MGM. One scenario making the rounds is that Jonathan Nolan, whose take on the material was enthusiastically received at Amazon, would write the screenplay. Though Nolan has a close relationship with the studio via the series “Fallout,” sources say he is not available to write.