Ashton Kutcher has been approved for a starring entrance in “Two and a Half Men.” CBS and Warner Bros. Televsion announced the news. No one was sure who would replace Charlie Sheen or if the show would even be able to continue without him. There was so much uncertainty that many media observers were expecting a cancellation.
Kutcher, it’s being said, will be pocketing the proceeds of a “huge payday” for agreeing to return to television acting.
The hit show’s creator and executive producer, Chuck Lorre, had nothing but praise for Kutcher: “We are so lucky to have someone as talented, joyful and just plain remarkable as Ashton joining our family…If I was any happier, it’d be illegal.”
Who else was being considered as Sheen’s replacement? Oh, just a Brit going by the name Hugh Grant. The charming bloke declined after a few talks about possibly taking over for Sheen. Nevertheless, those happy to have kept their writing jobs have mentioned that the prepared introduction for Ashton Kutcher is sure to please viewers and studio heads.
“No Strings Attached” was the selected actor’s last movie. Since making his television acting exit at the end of “That 70s Show,” Kutcher has kept busy on the big screen while working behind the cameras in television. He was mostly known for being the executive producer of MTV’s “Punk’d.”
As Kutcher prepares to make his first appearance on “Two and a Half Men,” the folks at CBS are hoping that some — if not all — of Kutcher’s big Twitter following (6.7 million and counting) will decide to follow him all the way to the TV.
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. As for Sheen, he’s in the middle of embarking on a world tour with a show called: “My Violent Torpedo of Truth/Defeat Is Not an Option.” Kudos to both actors.