Katherine Heigl is on board to join the hit TV show Suits for its eighth season as a series regular. The actor will play Samantha Wheeler, a talented new partner at Pearson Specter Litt who challenges the status quo and will either become the firm's greatest ally or most powerful enemy.

She will join series regulars Gabriel Macht, Sarah Rafferty, Rick Hoffman and Dule Hill. The new season will begin production in April in Toronto.

"Joining Suits was the perfect organic way to not only collaborate with a team I admire deeply but to also become part of a show and cast that I am an immense fan of. I have watched Suits from the very beginning and feel incredibly lucky to be the newest member of the Pearson Specter Litt family," says Heigl, who is an Emmy Award-winning and two-time Golden Globe-nominated actor as well as a producer.

She is best known for starring in the feature films 27 Dresses, Knocked Up and The Ugly Truth, which she also executive produced. She has also featured in critically acclaimed drama series Grey's Anatomy.