Ashton Kutcher's paycheck reportedly will be between $625,000 and $900,000 per episode to replace Charlie Sheen on "Two and a Half Men."
LOS ANGELES - Ashton Kutcher has officially torpedoed Charlie Sheen's hopes of returning to "Two and a Half Men" by taking the starring role.
The actor and Twitter-happy husband of Demi Moore will join a retooled version of TV's top-rated sitcom for its ninth season, CBS and Warner Bros. announced Friday.
"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," Kutcher said in a statement.
"I can't replace Charlie Sheen but I'm going to work my ass off to entertain the hell out of people!"
Show creator Chuck Lorre - whose falling-out with Sheen led to the actor getting the ax - said he was glad the sitcom "family" was staying together.
"If I was any happier, it'd be illegal," Lorre said.
Kutcher will make a "little" more than $500,000 per episode, a source told the Daily News.
Sheen earned $1.25 million per episode but really got about $2 million with back-end profit sharing.
The source confirmed British actor Hugh Grant was "in the mix" as s possible contender until recently but dismissed reports that producers offered him $1 million per episode.
Lorre didn't mention Sheen in his statement but hinted at their public war in a personal note posted at the end of last night's airing of his other CBS hit "The Big Bang Theory."
"I think I'm fairly immune to name-calling now. I'm not sure I could have made that claim a few months ago," he wrote.
Kutcher, 33, hinted at his new role late Thursday when he asked his 6.7 million Twitter followers: "what's the square root of 6.25?"
The answer is 2 �.
The "Punk'd" producer and star of the former Fox sitcom "That 70's Show" will play a new character written specifically to replace Sheen's womanizing Charlie Harper.
CBS head honcho Les Moonves is expected to make a big deal out of the new show at the TV industry's annual advertising fest in New York next week.
Sheen, 45, openly campaigned for his old job back during his recent road tour but is still pursuing his $100 million lawsuit against Lorre.
His pal Rob Patterson, the guitarist on his recent 20-city "Violent Torpedo of Truth" live tour, took to Twitter last night to bash Kutcher.
"i don't see (Kutcher) replacing (Sheen). show is based around Charlie's life. Not a dude married to a chick 20 years older then him," Patterson said.
ndillon@nydailynews.com
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