Heath Ledger has signed on to play the sardonic and murderous villain the Joker, immortalized by Jack Nicholson in Tim Burton's 1989 Batman, in the upcoming sequel to
Batman Begins -
The Dark Knight, says the Hollywood Reporter.
Christian Bale is set to reprise his role as Bruce Wayne/Batman and Christopher Nolan is returning to the directing chair.
Nolan's brother, Jonathan, will write the script from a story by Christopher Nolan and David Goyer. The project has been slated for an early 2007 start date.