Bad boy Sheen is back, but can he find a broadcaster?

(AFP/GETTY IMAGES)

Four months and millions of "tweets" after the spectacular implosion that saw him sacked from one of America's most lucrative television shows, Charlie Sheen is trying to return to the small screen.

The 45-year-old actor has taken a role in a pilot for Anger Management, a sitcom based on the 2003 movie of the same name. He will play the role taken by Jack Nicholson in the original film: of a counsellor to accused criminals who are preparing for important court cases.

Unsurprisingly, given the circumstances of Sheen's departure from his previous show, Two and a Half Men, no TV network has yet agreed to screen the pilot show. It is instead backed by a selection of producers, including Lionsgate, who will attempt to find a broadcaster at a later date.

"I chose it 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 press release. He said his own production company will help finance the project, adding: "It provides me with real ownership in the series."

Sheen was sacked from his previous show after being ordered to enter drug rehabilitation by its producers, Warner Brothers. He responded by making a string of public criticisms of the firm and its senior executives.

Having embarked upon a tour of theatres with a one-man live show, Sheen is now attempting to sue Warner Brothers for $100 million (£62m). He claims their decision to cancel the show, for which he was paid $1.8m an episode, amounted to a breach of contract.