As Charlie Sheen tours around the country and assures half-filled theaters of morons that he’ll return to “Two and a Half Men,” Chuck Lorre and Warner Bros. Studios are operating in the real world and preparing to reboot the show without him. Here’s the meat and potatoes from The Hollywood Reporter’s exclusive:

Lorre is said to have presented close associates and Men co-star Jon Cryer with the plan, and the studio and network are aware of his intentions. According to an insider, Lorre has told Cryer this reboot would involve a significant role for him and the introduction of a new, yet-to-be-cast character.

There’s still no word from CBS or Warner Bros. whether “Men” will continue next season, but the conventional wisdom is that CBS isn’t going to flush the most-watched sitcom in America down the drain.

So, this should be fun. Prepare yourselves for a solid two to three months of headlines like Who Will Replace Charlie Sheen? and Rob Lowe to Replace Charlie Sheen? and Our Top Ten Choices to Replace Charlie Sheen. Oh wait, that second one already happened. I guess make that two to three MORE months.