Ashton Kutcher to replace Sheen on 'Men': sources

Ashton Kutcher is interviewed at the premiere of "No Strings Attached" at the Regency Village theatre in Los Angeles January 11, 2011.[Photo/Agencies]

LOS ANGELES - Ashton Kutcher appears to have won the "Two and a Half Men" competition to replace ousted star Charlie Sheen.

Two sources close to the deal-making tell The Hollywood Reporter that the former "That '70s Show" star is putting the final touches on a deal to join TV's No. 1 comedy.

CBS, studio Warner Bros. and Kutcher's reps at Creative Artists Agency declined to comment on the situation but a deal is said to be all but signed. The exact dollar figure he will be paid is not known, but a source says Kutcher is getting a "huge payday" to join the hit sitcom.

The deal came together quickly after Hugh Grant passed on the opportunity to join the show. Now sources say "Men" creator Chuck Lorre has crafted a storyline to introduce Kutcher in a way that satisfies the network and studio. "It's really funny," says one source. "People are going to love it."

Trade publication Broadcasting & Cable reported Thursday that Kutcher's name was surfacing as a possible Sheen replacement. The actor would be taking first regular series gig since catapulting to stardom on Fox's "That 70's Show." He also executive produced the hit MTV hidden-camera series "Punk'd," among others.

Kutcher brings a youthful fan base to the CBS show, as well as a big online profile with 6.7 Twitter followers, which could help CBS promote the show.

"Chuck's really happy," another source says.

For his part, Kutcher is remaining silent except for a cryptic message he wrote on Twitter: "I'm starting to become convinced that people put my name in articles just to improve their SEO (search engine optimization) or hoping I'll tweet it."