Questions in the long, lingering saga over the fate of CBS’ hit comedy “Two and a Half Men” are finally being answered. After first losing out on convincing Hugh Grant to join Chuck Lorre’s no. 1 comedy, Warner Bros. and CBS have gone to another surprise choice, Ashton Kutcher.
Kutcher’s name was first revealed by Broadcasting and Cable, but the Twitter guru’s deal was confirmed by The Hollywood Reporter later this evening. No details are known about Kutcher’s character or how Sheen’s departure will be handled, but the former is reportedly landing a major payday to return to television. Sheen was fired by Warner Bros. March 7. Until this point it was unclear whether CBS and WBTV would continue with the show or just remain satisfied with the lucrative syndication revenues.
After a few years of cinematic duds including “Spread” and “Killers,” Kutcher had something of a comeback with the surprise January hit “No Strings Attached” alongside Natalie Portman. Now, Kutcher heads back to the small screen where he broke out on the long running FOX sitcom “That 70’s Show.” He also produced and created the iconic MTV reality show “Punk’d” as well as “Beauty and the Geek.” Kutcher’s other movie credits include “Just Married,” “The Butterfly Effect,” “What Happened in Vegas” and the ensemble rom com “Valentine’s Day.” The 33-year-old actor appears in the “Valentine’s” follow up, “New Year’s Eve” this December.
CBS will announce its complete Fall schedule at an upfront presentation on Wednesday. Look for continuing coverage on this story on HitFix.