Will Heath Ledger win an Oscar in 2009 for his role as the Joker in Dark Knight?

The Dark Knight is looking to be this summer's blockbuster movie. Already movie critics are talking up its Oscar potential including the possibility that Heath Ledger could win a posthumous Oscar. However MSNBC reports:

But Oscar watchers and veteran critics say the joke may be on fans creating mostly Internet-based buzz because an Academy Award for the Australian actor, who died of an accidental drug overdose in January, would be a rare event.

Only one actor has won an Oscar after death, Peter Finch for 1976's Network. Dark Knight is the type of comic book, action adventure that Oscar voters generally do not favor and there are many movies to see later this year, the experts said.

Whether the Dark Knight bucks the trend remains to be seen.