Ashton Kutcher has won the "Two and a Half Men" sweepstakes.
CBS and Warner Bros. Television have announced that he will join the cast of the hit comedy and replace Charlie Sheen.
"I can't wait to get to work with this ridiculously talented 2.5 team and I believe we can fill the stage with laughter that will echo in viewers' homes," said Kutcher. "I can't replace Charlie Sheen but I'm going to work my ass off to entertain the hell out of people!"
The exact dollar figure he will be paid is not known, but a source says Kutcher is getting a "huge payday" to join the hit sitcom, according to The Hollywood Reporter, which first reported the news Thursday.
"We are so lucky to have someone as talented, joyful and just plain remarkable as Ashton joining our family," Chuck Lorre, creator and Men executive producer, said in a statement. "Added to that is the deep sigh of relief knowing that our family stays together. If I was any happier, it'd be illegal.
The deal came together quickly in the wake of Hugh Grant passing on the opportunity to join the show. THR reports that Lorre has crafted a storyline to introduce Kutcher in a way that satisfies the network and studio.
"It's really funny," says one source. "People are going to love it."
Broadcasting & Cable reported Thursday that Kutcher's name was surfacing as a possible Sheen replacement. The actor, who starred in the winter hit "No Strings Attached," would be taking his first regular series gig since catapulting to stardom on Fox's "That 70's Show." He also executive produced the hit MTV hidden-camera series "Punk'd," among others.
Kutcher brings a youthful fan base to the CBS show, as well as a big online profile with 6.7 million Twitter followers, which could help CBS promote the show.
"Chuck's really happy," another source says.
Kutcher played coy on the news Thursday. "I'm starting to become convinced that people put my name in articles just to improve their SEO or hoping I'll tweet it," he wrote on Twitter.
A short time later, he tweeted: "What's the square root of 6.25?" The answer is, in fact, 2 1/2.
Sheen was fired from "Men" in early March, after a weeks-long media circus that had the actor attacking everything from Alcoholics Anonymous to Lorre.
He then launched a Web series, "Sheen's Korner," in which he continued his rant against his former bosses, and embarked on a nationwide tour, "My Violent Torpedo of Truth/Defeat Is Not an Option," which kicked off in early April with a disastrous show in Detroit. The month-long tour proved to be hit or miss, with some crowds booing the star and walking out mid-show, while others gave him standing ovations.
At some tour stops, he expressed his desire to return to "Men," even saying he would apologize to get his old job back.
The tour ended earlier this month in Seattle, but Sheen recently announced that he was going to continue the tour in Australia and Europe.
Author: Matthew Belloni & Kim Masters, The Hollywood Reporter
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