What could possibly be in the ‘The Hobbit’ extended edition that warranted an R rating?

Apparently the extended version of “The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies” is lot more violent and/or full of Middle-earth innuendo. Because the extended version just got rated R.

The Motion Picture Assn. of America’s R rating for “The Battle of the Five Armies -- The Extended Edition” is a bump up from the original film’s PG-13. The only description given on the Classification and Rating Administration’s website is that the film is “rated R for some violence.”

OK, so maybe no scandalous hobbit romances, but definitely “some violence,” whatever that may be.

For the record, all three of Peter Jackson’s previous “The Lord of the Rings” films and their extended editions, along with the first two “The Hobbit” films and their extended editions, all received PG-13 ratings.

This is especially curious considering critics have long complained about MPAA ratings, which are strict on depictions of sex and foul language but lenient on depictions of violence. In fact, a 2013 study revealed that since 2009 PG-13 films have contained as much violence or more than R-rated films.

Fans will have to wait to see what exactly could have been added to the film, which essentially is an extended battle sequence with plenty of violence already.

The extended edition of “The Battle of the Five Armies” will play in theaters in October with the DVD being released on Nov. 3.

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