Charlie Sheen, studio fight over 'Two and A Half Men' return talks

Charlie Sheen and the makers of Two and A Half Men traded accusations on Thursday over whether the door was still open for the actor's return to the No. 1 television comedy.

Warner Bros. Television strongly denied claims by Sheen that the studio was in talks to reinstate him, and made clear there was no chance of the fired star returning to the show.

But Sheen's lawyer insisted that there had been discussions this week about Sheen going back to his role as a womanising bachelor.

Sheen, formerly the highest-paid actor on US television, was booted out of the CBS series in March after he publicly insulted both the studio and series co-creator Chuck Lorre.

The actor, currently on a bizarre 'Violent Torpedo of Truth' stage tour of North America, claimed this week he was in talks with his former bosses and that there was an 85% chance he would return.

"Those statements are false. As you know, there have been no discussions, there are no discussions and there will be no discussions, regarding his (Sheen's) returning to or having any involvement with the series," attorneys for Warner Bros. wrote in a letter to the actor's lawyer.

Sheen's lawyer, Marty Singer, told The Hollywood Reporter in response; "That's ridiculous. There absolutely have been discussions.

"As late as this Tuesday there have been discussions about Charlie coming back and everyone was involved," Singer said. He did not say who was involved in the talks.

Last month, there were unconfirmed reports that CBS chief Les Moonves wanted Sheen back.

But the Warner Bros. letter on Thursday appeared to rule out any hope of a reconciliation with Sheen, who has continued to trash his former bosses and some of his co-stars.

Sheen has been in and out of drug rehab in the last 12 months and was convicted last year of assaulting his then-wife. He filed a $100 million lawsuit against Warner Bros. in March for unfair dismissal.'

Warner Bros. and CBS have yet to say whether they will bring back Two and A Half Men in a different format or with a different star for the 2011-2012 season starting in September.

They have until mid-May to make a decision before the main TV networks present their new season line-up to advertisers in New York.

CBS is a unit of CBS Corp, and Warner Bros. Television is owned by Time Warner Inc.