Charlie Sheen is set to return to television in a sitcom loosely based on the 2003 Jack Nicholson/Adam Sandler comedy "Anger Management...
Charlie Sheen is set to return to television in a sitcom loosely based on the 2003 Jack Nicholson/Adam Sandler comedy "Anger Management," Lionsgate Television announced Monday.
TheWrap confirmed two weeks ago that the wheels had been set in motion on the project, which Revolution Studios honcho Joe Roth was shopping.
But now it's official: Lionsgate will produce the half-hour comedy and will distribute through its subsidiary Debmar-Mercury. Sheen will have a "significant ownership stake" in the project, the production company said.
[Related: Charlie Sheen Roast to Air on Same Night as 'Two and a Half Men' Return]
"I chose 'Anger Management' because, while it might be a big stretch for me to play a guy with serious anger management issues, I think it is a great concept," Sheen said in a statement. "It also provides me with real ownership in the series, a certain amount of creative control and the chance to be back in business with one of my favorite movie producers of all time, Joe Roth."
Roth has produced five Sheen movies, including "Major League" and "Young Guns."
Speculation about the project began when Sheen offered a not-so-subtle hint to TMZ that he was prepping a show based on a Roth-produced film with the initials "A.M."
"Anger Management" will be Sheen's first full-time TV gig since CBS fired him in March from his mega-successful "Two and a Half Men" after a series of outlandish media interviews in which he bashed showrunner Chuck Lorre and bragged about past drug use.
Sheen will be the subject of a Comedy Central roast, which will air Monday, September 19, the same night that "Two and a Half Men" returns to the air.
[Related: Charlie Sheen: Ashton Kutcher-Led 'Two and a Half Men' Will Score Mediocre Ratings]
Sheen will play a variation on Jack Nicholson's character in "Anger Management." No word yet on whether the Sandler character will be involved in the adaptation or who the writing team will be.
Here's a truncated dupe of the release sent out Monday by Lionsgate:
Los Angeles, CA, July 18, 2011 — Former Two and a Half Men star Charlie Sheen is planning his return to series television in Anger Management, a new sitcom loosely based on Revolution Studios' 2003 hit comedy feature of the same name. Lionsgate-owned Debmar-Mercury, headed by Co-Presidents Mort Marcus and Ira Bernstein, will distribute the series that will be produced by Lionsgate Television, led by Television Group President Kevin Beggs and COO Sandra Stern; Joe Roth and Revolution Studios' Vince Totino; Sheen manager Mark Burg's production company, Evolution Management; and Robert Maron.
Sheen will retain a significant ownership stake in the series inspired by the film, in which a mild-mannered, non-confrontational man is ordered to attend group anger management sessions led by a therapist who could probably use some anger management himself.
"I chose Anger Management because, while it might be a big stretch for me to play a guy with serious anger management issues, I think it is a great concept," Sheen said. "It also provides me with real ownership in the series, a certain amount of creative control and the chance to be back in business with one of my favorite movie producers of all time, Joe Roth."
"Who better than Charlie Sheen to tackle Anger Management," Roth said. "With Charlie's incredible talent and comedic gifts, he remains the leading man of TV sitcoms. I'm excited to collaborate with him once again."
[Related: Charlie Sheen Hopes to Return to TV in 'Anger Management']
Roth is also currently working with Lionsgate's Debmar-Mercury and Ice Cube's CubeVision on the TBS hit "Are We There Yet?" It is one of three hugely successful sitcoms (along with Tyler Perry's "House of Payne" and "Meet the Browns") that are the result of a unique sitcom business model created by Marcus and Bernstein.
Marcus and Bernstein said in a joint statement, "Our sitcom model is all about building well-known brands around extraordinary talents like Charlie that, thanks to their large profit participation, are highly motivated to succeed.
It's not every day you can roll out a sitcom featuring the star of the biggest TV comedy of the past decade.
"We always look for series ideas that are noisy, accessible and relevant," said Lionsgate's Kevin Beggs. "Charlie Sheen in 'Anger Management' takes those criteria to a whole new level and we are thrilled to be in business with him, Evolution, Debmar-Mercury and Revolution Studios on this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. With a star of Charlie's magnitude, a producer as venerable as Joe Roth and a branded property as compelling as 'Anger Management,' this show has unique upside while still adhering to our disciplined business model."
Said Burg, one of the creative forces behind Lionsgate's "SAW" franchise, the most popular long-running horror franchise of all time, and a former executive producer of "Two and a Half Men," "We have been fielding numerous offers for Charlie since his departure from "Two and a Half Men," but none were as creatively and financially compelling as the package that Lionsgate, Debmar-Mercury, and Revolution presented us with Anger Management."
The deal was negotiated on behalf of Debmar-Mercury and Lionsgate by Sandra Stern. Sheen was represented by Jake Bloom and Leigh Brecheen of Bloom, Hergott, Diemer, Rosenthal, Laviolette & Feldman. Revolution and Joe Roth were represented by Matt Johnson of Ziffren Brittenham LLP.
TheWrap confirmed two weeks ago that the wheels had been set in motion on the project, which Revolution Studios honcho Joe Roth was shopping.
But now it's official: Lionsgate will produce the half-hour comedy and will distribute through its subsidiary Debmar-Mercury. Sheen will have a "significant ownership stake" in the project, the production company said.
[Related: Charlie Sheen Roast to Air on Same Night as 'Two and a Half Men' Return]
"I chose 'Anger Management' because, while it might be a big stretch for me to play a guy with serious anger management issues, I think it is a great concept," Sheen said in a statement. "It also provides me with real ownership in the series, a certain amount of creative control and the chance to be back in business with one of my favorite movie producers of all time, Joe Roth."
Roth has produced five Sheen movies, including "Major League" and "Young Guns."
Speculation about the project began when Sheen offered a not-so-subtle hint to TMZ that he was prepping a show based on a Roth-produced film with the initials "A.M."
"Anger Management" will be Sheen's first full-time TV gig since CBS fired him in March from his mega-successful "Two and a Half Men" after a series of outlandish media interviews in which he bashed showrunner Chuck Lorre and bragged about past drug use.
Sheen will be the subject of a Comedy Central roast, which will air Monday, September 19, the same night that "Two and a Half Men" returns to the air.
[Related: Charlie Sheen: Ashton Kutcher-Led 'Two and a Half Men' Will Score Mediocre Ratings]
Sheen will play a variation on Jack Nicholson's character in "Anger Management." No word yet on whether the Sandler character will be involved in the adaptation or who the writing team will be.
Here's a truncated dupe of the release sent out Monday by Lionsgate:
Los Angeles, CA, July 18, 2011 — Former Two and a Half Men star Charlie Sheen is planning his return to series television in Anger Management, a new sitcom loosely based on Revolution Studios' 2003 hit comedy feature of the same name. Lionsgate-owned Debmar-Mercury, headed by Co-Presidents Mort Marcus and Ira Bernstein, will distribute the series that will be produced by Lionsgate Television, led by Television Group President Kevin Beggs and COO Sandra Stern; Joe Roth and Revolution Studios' Vince Totino; Sheen manager Mark Burg's production company, Evolution Management; and Robert Maron.
Sheen will retain a significant ownership stake in the series inspired by the film, in which a mild-mannered, non-confrontational man is ordered to attend group anger management sessions led by a therapist who could probably use some anger management himself.
"I chose Anger Management because, while it might be a big stretch for me to play a guy with serious anger management issues, I think it is a great concept," Sheen said. "It also provides me with real ownership in the series, a certain amount of creative control and the chance to be back in business with one of my favorite movie producers of all time, Joe Roth."
"Who better than Charlie Sheen to tackle Anger Management," Roth said. "With Charlie's incredible talent and comedic gifts, he remains the leading man of TV sitcoms. I'm excited to collaborate with him once again."
[Related: Charlie Sheen Hopes to Return to TV in 'Anger Management']
Roth is also currently working with Lionsgate's Debmar-Mercury and Ice Cube's CubeVision on the TBS hit "Are We There Yet?" It is one of three hugely successful sitcoms (along with Tyler Perry's "House of Payne" and "Meet the Browns") that are the result of a unique sitcom business model created by Marcus and Bernstein.
Marcus and Bernstein said in a joint statement, "Our sitcom model is all about building well-known brands around extraordinary talents like Charlie that, thanks to their large profit participation, are highly motivated to succeed.
It's not every day you can roll out a sitcom featuring the star of the biggest TV comedy of the past decade.
"We always look for series ideas that are noisy, accessible and relevant," said Lionsgate's Kevin Beggs. "Charlie Sheen in 'Anger Management' takes those criteria to a whole new level and we are thrilled to be in business with him, Evolution, Debmar-Mercury and Revolution Studios on this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. With a star of Charlie's magnitude, a producer as venerable as Joe Roth and a branded property as compelling as 'Anger Management,' this show has unique upside while still adhering to our disciplined business model."
Said Burg, one of the creative forces behind Lionsgate's "SAW" franchise, the most popular long-running horror franchise of all time, and a former executive producer of "Two and a Half Men," "We have been fielding numerous offers for Charlie since his departure from "Two and a Half Men," but none were as creatively and financially compelling as the package that Lionsgate, Debmar-Mercury, and Revolution presented us with Anger Management."
The deal was negotiated on behalf of Debmar-Mercury and Lionsgate by Sandra Stern. Sheen was represented by Jake Bloom and Leigh Brecheen of Bloom, Hergott, Diemer, Rosenthal, Laviolette & Feldman. Revolution and Joe Roth were represented by Matt Johnson of Ziffren Brittenham LLP.
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