Ashton Kutcher is close to signing a deal with Warner Bros. to replace Charlie Sheen on television’s number one comedy series, ‘Two and a Half Men,’ The Hollywood Reporting is claiming. While the studio and the actor’s reps haven’t yet publicly commented on the casting, Kutcher is reportedly close to signing a deal, and will receive a huge paycheck to do so.

The news comes after Hugh Grant, the latest rumored star to join ‘Two and Half Men,’ recently passed on the chance to join the show. But the sitcom’s creator, Chuck Lorre, is creating a story that will introduce Kutcher’s character.

Kutcher was approached for the show because he rose to fame on the hit FOX sitcom ‘That ’70s Show’ in the late 1990s and the early 2000s. He also hosted and executive produced the hit MTV hidden camera series ‘Punk’d’ between 2003 and 2007. He also has a youthful fan base and a big on-line following, with 6.7 million followers on Twitter.

The news comes after Sheen said he was close to negotiating a deal to return to ‘Two and a Half Men.’ He even said he would apologize to Lorre and the rest of the show’s staff to get his job back.

Written by: Karen Benaradello