We’ve heard plenty of rumors about folks like Rob Lowe, Jeremy Piven and John Stamos being offered Charlie Sheen‘s place in Two And A Half Men, but Deadline just revealed that Warner Bros. has been chasing far bigger game than that. According to the site, Hugh Grant pulled out of negotiations last night after nearly accepting $1 million per episode to join the show’s cast (though there is some hope he may reconsider). It’s a pretty smooth move—Hugh’s presence on a sitcom would be a lot more novel and intriguing than the established TV actors previously listed, he didn’t party with Sheen back in the day like Stamos and Lowe did, and the payday would definitely be bigger for the actor than what he’s getting for stuff like Did You Hear About The Morgans?
The buzz around Grant underscores a previously ignored issue: that the show is popular internationally, and foreign distributors might give up on the show if the producers don’t score a big star with global appeal. With all of Hugh’s recent movies making more money abroad than in the US, he’d be a dream fit—so expect Warner Bros. to try and smooth over Hugh’s current “creative differences.” With network upfronts only a week away, it’s not like they have time to chase down other celebrities of his stature.
