Earlier this week we learned that Peter Jackson’s extended edition version of his "The Hobbit" trilogy would be coming to theaters for a limited event screening in October. Audiences have already seen the padded out versions of "The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey" and "The Hobbit: The Desolation Of Smaug," however extended version of "The Hobbit: The Battle Of The Five Armies" isn’t due to hit home video until November. And now there’s an intriguing new twist.
Rope Of Silicon reports that the ‘Battle Of The Five Armies’ extended cut has been stamped with an R-rating for "some violence" by the MPAA. This is a bit surprising given that the ratings board tends to be pretty soft on violence if there’s no blood, and while Jackson’s fantasy films have their share of massive battles, and various showdowns, I can’t recall any being particularly gruesome. It seems that has changed for ‘Armies,’ which raises the PG-13 bar of ‘Journey’ and ‘Smaug.’
So, that likely means the theatrical run of the extended cut of ‘Armies’ will be R-rated too, so sorry kids, you’ll have to bring a parent or guardian to accompany you. It doesn’t seem like Warner Bros. are appealing the rating, but we’ll see how this plays out. Does this make you more curious to see what Jackson has added to ‘Armies’? Hit the comments section and let us know.
