‘The Dark Knight Rises’ Gets Its MPAA Rating; Movie to Be ‘Sensual’?

'The Dark Knight Rises' has received its official rating from the MPAA and it's sure to surprise no one who has followed director Christopher Nolan's previous two Bat-films or superhero movies in general. But one of the reasons for the rating might raise a few eyebrows this time.

Not unexpectedly, Nolan's conclusion to his Caped Crusader trilogy has earned a PG-13 from the secretive and often frustrating ratings board. All par for the course when it comes to summer blockbusters and comic book franchises, and completely in line with 2005's 'Batman Begins' and 2008's 'The Dark Knight.' But there was one aspect of the rating that caught the attention of a forum member at Nolanfans (via Collider):

"PG-13 for intense sequences of violence and action, some sensuality and language”

Sensuality? As in...sex? Nolan is famous for having almost no nookie in his movies, and the Bat-films in particular have been nearly devoid of romance (the rather chaste triangle involving Bruce Wayne, Rachel Dawes and Harvey Dent in 'The Dark Knight' notwithstanding). However, with Selena Kyle (Anne Hathaway) and Talia - sorry, we mean "Miranda Tate" (Marion Cotillard) both in the new film, that could be changing.

Both women have been major romantic figures for the Bat in the comic books, with "Miranda" even bearing Bruce Wayne's child. We can't quite see any relationship between "Miranda" and Bruce (Christian Bale) going that far in this movie, but since we've seen very little of Cotillard's character in the two teasers so far, her role in the movie remains a mystery (and yes, we are assuming that "Miranda" is actually Talia).

On the other hand,  just the sight of Hathaway poured into skintight black leather might be sensual enough for the ratings board. Do she and Wayne get busy as well? Could 'The Dark Knight Rises' actually be the epic tale of one supremely wealthy and eccentric man juggling affairs with two hot female newcomers to Gotham?

We'll find out the real meaning of the title when 'The Dark Knight Rises' opens on July 20th, 2012.