Hugh Grant weighed as Charlie Sheen TV replacement

[May 12, 2011]  LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Hugh Grant has been weighing a big move: replacing the fired Charlie Sheen on CBS' "Two and a Half Men."

A person familiar with the situation said Wednesday the British film actor was in negotiations to join the sitcom as its new leading man. The person, speaking on condition of anonymity because producer Warner Bros. and CBS hadn't authorized public comment, said the talks had stalled without resolution.

But it was unclear whether Grant's hiring was a closed issue, the person said. Reports that Grant had been offered $1 million-plus an episode were inaccurate, the person said, adding any Sheen replacement would be paid less than that.

Sheen was among TV's highest-paid actors at a reported $1.8 million an episode.

Grant's publicist did not immediately return a call for comment. The actor, who became a star in romantic comedies including "Four Weddings and a Funeral" and "Notting Hill," hasn't appeared in a box-office hit for several years.

Warner, CBS and executive producer Chuck Lorre are attempting to find a new star and revamped format that would keep TV's top-rated and highly lucrative sitcom afloat without Sheen. With CBS set to unveil its fall schedule for advertisers in New York next Wednesday, the pressure is on to decide the show's future.

Speculation has swirled about who might join Jon Cryer and Angus T. Jones in the cast. Some actors seen as potential candidates, including John Stamos and Rob Lowe, have indicated their interests are elsewhere.

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.

The Grant-"Two and a Half Men" negotiations were first reported by the Deadline Hollywood website.

[Associated Press; By LYNN ELBER]

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