Kutcher "Winning" Role On 'Two And A Half Men'
LOS ANGELES (CBS4) -- It's official. Ashton Kutcher will join the cast of the hit CBS comedy, "Two and a Half Men."
"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!"
CBS and Warner Brothers are no doubt hoping the Kutcher can tap into his vast following on Twitter and Facebook to help bring viewers back to the show.
But Kutcher's effort to use social media to boost "The Beautiful Life," which he produced for the CW network, proved lackluster: The 2009 series, which was a venture between CBS and Warner Bros., was canceled after just two episodes.
"Ashton is a pop culture triple threat—film star, cutting-edge producer and a social media pioneer," said Nina Tassler, President, CBS Entertainment. "He brings creativity, energy and personality to everything he touches. We are thrilled to have him, and excited beyond words for what he brings to the next season of TWO AND A HALF MEN."
Kutcher gained fame on another sitcom, "That 70s Show," then focused on film roles (the romantic comedy "No Strings Attached" the most recent) and producing, including the prank show "Punk'd."
Warner and CBS have been shopping for a name actor who could keep the highly lucrative sitcom afloat without Charlie Sheen. Within recent days, negotiations with British film star Hugh Grant fell apart because of reported creative differences.
It's been more than two months since Warner fired Sheen in the show's eighth season, a move that followed the hard-living actor's bouts of wild partying, repeated hospitalizations and a bitter media campaign against his studio bosses who shut down production.
