There has long been not quite light sounding whispering regarding a posthumous Academy Award nomination for the late Heath Ledger’s excellent performance as The Joker in Warner Bros.’ “The Dark Knight.”

We are getting closer to the moment of truth, when the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announces on January 22 whether Australian actor Heath Ledger receives an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his critically-acclaimed turn as the eerie Joker in Warner Bros.’ “The Dark Knight.”

Ledger will have sadly passed away a year ago, on the very day the Academy reveals its 2008 nominees. The actor was found unresponsive in his Manhattan apartment; he died of an accidental prescription drug overdose. At the time of death, he had completed work on the Batman sequel and was in the midst of filming for Terry Gilliam’s “The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus.”

Upon “The Dark Knight’s” release in June, critics and moviegoers alike found it to be everything they had hoped for and more and Ledger was widely acclaimed for his brilliant take on the villainous character.

Director Christopher Nolan and stars Christian Bale, Aaron Eckhart, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Michael Caine and Morgan Freeman have long expressed admiration for Ledger’s work and hope that he may be recognized by the Academy.

Ledger has become the first actor to win a posthumous award at the Australian Film Institute Awards, receiving the Best Actor honor this year. Furthermore, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is already familiar with his work, as he received a nomination for his work in 2005’s “Brokeback Mountain.”

Should he win the award this time, he would be the only actor besides Peter Finch (“Network,” 1976) to earn an acting Oscar posthumously.

“The Dark Knight” has earned nearly $1 billion in theaters around the world. Forbes recently named Heath Ledger, who was only 28 at the time of his death, the third highest-earning dead celebrity, after music legend Elvis Presley and “Peanuts” creator Charles Schultz. His contract for the Batman sequel included a cut of the film and merchandising revenue.