Hugh won't be the new Charlie
HUGH Grant has reportedly pulled out of negotiations to take on the lead role in Two and a Half Men.
The 50-year-old British star was reportedly offered $1 million an episode to replace troubled actor Charlie Sheen - who was fired from the show earlier this year because of his erratic behaviour - on the sitcom, but turned down the job due to "creative differences."
According to insiders, creator and executive producer Chuck Lorre - who Charlie branded "s**tbrain and "Chucky Cheesball" during their public feud - will only continue the show if he can find someone to work comfortably with, and is particularly keen to hire an actor not known for television work.
A source told website Deadline.com: "Chuck will only continue if he can find the right actor and get excited about that. It has to be somebody Chuck can work with.
"The feeling was to contract with an exciting actor who'd never done TV before."
Warner Brothers and network CBS are keen to get the matter resolved soon in order to get a new series of the show ready before the end of the year.
A source said: "Everybody wants show back and to support Chuck creatively and to do something the advertising community will feel good about. The only issue was whether everyone could get the show up and running and right fast enough to make this fall's schedule."
After Charlie was fired from Two and a Half Men in March, a number of actors were tipped to take on the lead role in the show, including Rob Lowe, Woody Harrelson, Jeremy Piven and John Stamos.
