The upcoming "Star Wars" film has a black hero and a new face - actor John Boyega.
The 23-year old from the United Kingdom whose roots are traced back to Nigeria was not born yet when the last "Star Wars" launched the careers of Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher and Mark Hamill, almost four decades back.
Director J.J. Abrams tapped Boyega to portray Finn, the lead role in "Star Wars VII: The Force Awakens" set to be in theaters this December. For him, "Sci-fi over the years has had a way of commenting on social issues, but without being preachy." Built on mythical stories, the film is based in the classic good versus evil, said the new face of the epic franchise.
Boyega played Moses in "Attack the Block," a British comedy about teens who defend the London neighborhood against aliens and the low-budget $13 million film is worlds apart from the buzz and excitement that surround the upcoming "Star Wars" film, said CNET.
The actor is the first one seen in Walt Disney's initial trailer in a Stormtropper armor without a helmet and running. In the film's poster, he is seen wearing the iconic weapon, lightsaber.
Boyega's casting triggered some controversy when some threatened to boycott the film with a black as a leading man; others questioned Disney's decision. Boyega's reaction to these was a simple "Get used to it."
In the "Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens," Finn is on a journey just like the stories of superheroes and gods in other mythologies. "All the characters we love - Batman, Spider-Man - never ever start off as those guys," stated Boyega.
John Boyega loves to work out, collect action figures and play video games. He cherishes his orange and black striped cat Oluwalogan, a term for God in the Nigerian language.
Boyega and co-star in the "Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens," Daisy Ridley, had the most epic reactions when the film's trailer premiered on last month's Monday Night Football during the halftime show of the New York Giants vs Philadelphia Eagles game, noted Inquisitr.
