Heath Ledger's Batman role triggers Oscar buzz

LOS ANGELES (AFP) - The Oscars are eight months away and the film hasn’t even been released, but Heath Ledger’s performance in his last film is already generating talk of a rare posthumous Academy Award.

Australian heart-throb Ledger, who died of an accidental drug overdose in New York in January aged 28, appears in cinemas later this month as comic-book hero Batman’s chilling arch-enemy, The Joker, in “The Dark Knight.”

Ledger’s creepy rendition of the classic role has already wowed a handful of critics invited to sneak previews for the film, which opens in North America on July 18, with several describing the performance as Oscar-worthy.

“I can only speak superlatives of Ledger, who is mad-crazy-blazing brilliant as the Joker,” wrote Rolling Stone’s film critic Pete Travers. “If there’s a movement to get him the first posthumous Oscar since Peter Finch won for 1976’s ‘Network’, sign me up,” Travers added.

Sam Rubin, a respected entertainment correspondent for Los Angeles KTLA network, said Ledger would “absolutely be nominated for an Oscar, and at this point in the year is a hands-down favorite to win it posthumously.” “Ledger offers perfect pitch, perfect tone, his Joker hits all the right notes,” Rubin added. The cast and crew of “The Dark Knight” were similarly wowed by Ledger’s presence on set.