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paragraphs.)
DOW JONES NEWSWIRES
Lions Gate Entertainment Corp. (LGF) on Monday confirmed it
plans to launch a new TV series starring Charlie Sheen, four months
after the former "Two and a Half Men" star's widely publicized
firing from the CBS Corp. (CBS) show.
Lionsgate Television-owned Debmar-Mecury will distribute the
series, called "Anger Management," about a mild-mannered man forced
to attend sessions led by a volatile therapist. The series will be
based loosely on the 2003 movie by the same name that starred Jack
Nicholson and Adam Sandler.
Sheen achieved notoriety this spring after being fired from "Two
And A Half" men following a series of public outbursts. The Warner
Bros.-produced series on CBS, which now stars Ashton Kutcher, was
TV's most popular situation comedy at the time.
Speculation had been circulating that another studio would pick
up Sheen, who starred in a long list of Hollywood movies and
maintains an extensive following on Twitter.
Lionsgate hasn't yet found a network for the show, though
Debmar-Mercury now produces three sitcoms on Time Warner Inc.'s
(TWX) TBS channel.
Debmar-Mercury Co-President Ira Bernstein said the production
company expects to name an executive producer within the next
several weeks, after which it will find an outlet to carry the
show.
The company said Sheen will hold a "significant" ownership stake
in the series. Sheen cited his desire for "a certain amount of
creative control" over the show and said he is looking forward to
working with producer Joe Roth, who collaborated with the actor on
such films as "Major League," "Young Guns" and "Three
Musketeers."
-By Drew FitzGerald, Dow Jones Newswires; 212-416-2909;
Andrew.FitzGerald@dowjones.com