Ledger goes from Brokeback to Batman

Oscar-nominated actor Heath Ledger has signed on to play the diabolical trickster theJoker for the upcoming sequel to Batman Begins, according to the movie trade magazine Hollywood Reporter.

The Australian-born actor last won acclaim for his starring role in the cowboy romance Brokeback Mountain.

Christian Bale will reprise his role as the rich playboy Bruce Wayne and his alter ego, Batman, in the sequel, tentatively titled The Dark Knight. Christopher Nolan will also return to direct and co-write the story.

The two have also teamed up for the fall 2006 release The Prestige,which stars Bale and Hugh Jackman as competing magicians in 19th-century London whose rivalry turns murderous.

Production on The Dark Knight is scheduled for 2007, with a possible theatrical release in 2008.

Actors Michael Caine, Morgan Freeman and Gary Oldman are also set toreprise the roles of Alfred Pennyworth, Lucius Fox and Lieut. James Gordon respectively.

The murderous villain known as the Joker, often thought of as Batman's arch enemy, has been a key rival in Batman lore, with the evil clown-faced character memorably portrayed by César Romero in the 1960s television series and Jack Nicholson in the 1989 film.