The 28-year-old actor, who wowed audiences and critics with his 2005 Oscar-nominated role in "Brokeback Mountain," seemed to be ripening into a bona-fide sensation. After completing perhaps his most impressive performance yet as the famed Batman nemesis, The Joker, in "The Dark Knight," Ledger's life came to an abrupt halt after what was ruled an accidental prescription drug overdose.

Once news broke about the Australian actor's death, the heat over his latest "Batman" adventure, which opens today in Utah and across the country, boiled over.

"When he passed away, he became more the focus," said Aaron Evans, an account manager for Salt Lake City's Love Communication, who talked about the movie as a cinema fan and advertising expert. "His passing sadly, but subconsciously, adds to the buzz."

News of the young actor's death complicated Warner Bros.' marketing plans, which focused around Ledger's dark, gritty and psychopathic portrayal of The Joker. Instead, the actor's death became the story.

For smaller projects, death of a star before a film's release could spell disaster, but not for such a high-profile summer release. Instead, Ledger's death appears to have sparked more curiosity among fans.

"The way Heath Ledger died was in a troubled sort of way," said William Siska, professor of film at the University of Utah. "It will be impossible not to read into the parallels between his character and his real-life troubles."

But in the aftermath of the actor's death, the studio faced tough marketing decisions, as its advertisting campaign largely focused on Ledger.

"It's his last role and there was already such a large buzz about his performance before he passed away," Evans said. "He could become talked about like James Dean, who passed away long before his time and still had not reached full potential."

Other stars in the film, including Christian Bale, who plays Batman, haven't shied away from talking about Ledger in press interviews while promoting the film. The cast also includes Maggie Gyllenhaal, Aaron Eckhart, Morgan Freeman and Michael Caine.

The Joker character is key to "The Dark Knight's" plot, but the studio's promotional efforts do raise the question of how much is too much when it comes to profiting from - some might call it exploiting - an actor's death, Siska said.

"You have a huge cast of well-known people," he said. "I hate to see that kind of exploitation of someone who is not with us anymore."

Ultimately, whether due to good marketing or the untimeliness of Ledger's death, the actor's performance is expected to attract fans to movie theaters across the country this weekend.

Evans, for one, can't wait. "He has taken The Joker, an iconic role from comic books and the cartoonish Jack Nicholson character, and taken it in a completely different direction, making it dark, sadistic and scary as hell," said the advertising executive.

cmayorga@sltrib.com