Sean Bean as Benny Griessel?

I have recently finished Thirteen Hours by Deon Meyer, maybe the most famous South African crime writer and one of my favorite crime writers. And I learned on the author's website that Sean Bean, famous for, well, many roles in many blockbuster movies and TV series which are so numerous I will not name, is in talk/rumored to play Benny Griessel, the recovering alcoholic cop who is the main character of the book, in a movie adaptation. I even read an old article from 2012 that he should actually star in the whole "Devil's Peak trilogy". Now I am a big fan of Sean Bean, because of those many movies and TV series which I will not list, so I would be over the moon if the project gets through. He would be perfect to play Benny Griessel. He has the physique and he has played before broken men and very convincingly. It would be even better if he can get the South African accent. The adaptations seem to be stuck in development hell, but if they ever get out of there... Well, I'll be very happy.