The most recent Batman film, The Dark Knight, was the subject of much dispute in the UK in 2008 after being handed a 12A certificate despite its powerful adult themes. Now it looks like the debate over cinema ratings is likely to begin all over again for Christopher Nolan's follow-up, The Dark Knight Rises after the final film in the British director's Batman trilogy was given a PG-13 rating in the US.

The rating from the Motion Picture Association of America will almost certainly translate into another 12A in the UK. The US censors say Nolan's film features "intense sequences of violence and action, some sensuality and language". A PG-13 will allow anyone over the age of 12 into the film in the US, increasing its chances of box-office glory. The Dark Knight is the 11th highest grossing film of all time worldwide, with more than $1bn in receipts, and its sequel is expected to produce similar results.

Senior MPs on both sides of the Commons criticised the British Board of Film Classification's decision to hand The Dark Knight a 12A rather than a 15 in 2008. Iain Duncan Smith, the former Conservative leader, said in a letter to the Times that he thought the BBFC had "caved in to commercial pressures". The BBFC countered that the film's certificate was justified because of its superhero context.

The Dark Knight Rises opens in the UK on 20 July 2012. It once again stars Christian Bale as the caped crusader, with Anne Hathaway debuting as Selina Kyle, a character who becomes Catwoman in the comics. Gary Oldman and Michael Caine reprise their roles as Commissioner Gordon and Alfred, while another Brit, Tom Hardy, plays the central villain Bane.