Ashton Kutcher joins "Two and a Half Men"; production starts in summer

(CBS) It's official: Ashton Kutcher is joining "Two and a Half Men," the CBS sitcom from which Charlie Sheen was fired in March 2011.

Pictures: Ashton Kutcher
Pictures: Charlie Sheen
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Kutcher fueled the speculation when he tweeted cryptically Thursday, "what's the square root of 6.25?" (The answer is 2.5.)

In a statement Friday, CBS said, "The multi-talented Kutcher, whose success spans film, television and social media, will join Jon Cryer, Angus T. Jones, Holland Taylor, Marin Hinkle and Conchata Ferrell on the top-rated series. Production on the ninth season of the Emmy Award-nominated "Two and a Half Men"   will begin this summer for broadcast on the CBS Television Network in the fall."

In the same press release, Kutcher said, "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," adding, "I can't replace Charlie Sheen but I'm going to work my ass off to entertain the hell out of people!"

As of 1 p.m. EDT Friday, Sheen hadn't tweeted about the news. The actor was fired from the show after months of strange interviews, trips to the hospital and tales of drug use. After being fired, Sheen went on a nationwide live tour to decidedly mixed reviews, with some criticism being very negative.

Kutcher was a regular of "That '70s Show" and recently starred in the movie "No Strings Attached" with Natalie Portman. He's married to actress Demi Moore.