It will be over a year before die-hard "Star Wars" fans will get to see the latest, and seventh, installment in their favorite space saga, but the film's producers already have managed to stir up a controversy.
When an 88-second teaser for "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" showed up in 30 theaters and ITunes on Friday, some fans were shocked when the first scene showed a black actor, wearing one of the film's iconic Stormtrooper costumes, looking confused and sweaty in a planetary desert scene,
Variety reports.
Fans immediately took to the internet to either protest or support the use of a black actor in a Stormtrooper role, but 22-year-old British actor John Boyega wasn't fazed a bit.
On his Instagram account, he posted, "Thank you for all the love and support! The fan mail and fan art has added to my joy! Isn't it crazy that Star Wars is actually happening? I'm in the movie but, as a Star Wars fan, I am very excited."
As to the controversy, he added, "To whom it may concern…get used to it," and closed his post with a smiley face.
It's not even the first time black actors have appeared in Star Wars. Billy Dee Williams played Lando Calrissian in two of the movies, Samuel L. Jackson played Jedi master Mace Windu in three, and the voice of the film's main bad guy, Darth Vader, was done by James Earl Jones, although a white actor played the role,
CNN notes.
The film trailer has gone viral, attracting more than 40 million viewings since its premier, New York's
Daily News reports.
Writer Iain Macintosh posted on Twitter: "They'll accept an alien-filled galaxy powered by 'force' but they're not having a black man in uniform," CNN reported.
Boyega will join original cast members Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, Mark Hamill, Anthony Daniels, Peter Mayhew and Kenny Baker in the film, which takes place 30 years after the time of 1983's "Return of the Jedi," Variety reports.
Variety notes that the film will hit theaters on Dec. 18 of next year and, as Boyega said: "A year is a long time to wait but it will be worth the wait."
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