As a brand-new poster and a detailed trailer had been unveiled ahead of JJ Abrams' "Star Wars: The Force Awakens' premiere, fans were more than thrilled to get a glimpse of its well-loved characters as well as new additions to the saga.
However, some viewers have not been entirely happy with the outcome and have chosen to voice out their negativity about the movie by taking to social media, such as on Twitter whether the hashtag #BoycottStarWarsVII is currently trending.
Viewers who started the hashtag have attempted to argue that the upcoming movie has not followed the originals, and should not be watched because "the lead character is black."
Others have even gone as far as to state that "Star Wars: The Force Awakens' is "anti-white" and "promotes white genocide."
British actor John Boyega and his role in the movie have often been mentioned in the arguments.
The new poster clearly highlights the lead characters as compared to what the previous trailers before it have disclosed. Its characters and the different sizes they appear in could imply their significance in the movie, resulting to the disappointment of fans who are looking forward to Han Solo (Harrison Ford) and Princess Leia (Carrie Fisher) getting the spotlight this time.
New characters Finn (Boyega) and Rey (Daisy Ridley) are well displayed on the poster, which suggests that they will play a bigger role than the original trio of Han, Leia and Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill).
Moreover, Luke himself seems to be not included in the poster, unless he is concealed or disguised as one of the troopers, similar to what happened during his rescue mission for Princess Leia in "A New Hope.'
As such, many have seemingly forgotten that this "Episode VII' is a new film that brings on new characters, thereby contributing to the expansion of the "Star Wars' franchise.
In 2013, Abrams already addressed questions relating to the diversity of the movie cast, explaining that he intentionally sought to vamp up things in the industry as well as in the sci-fi genre by incorporating a more racially diverse set of actors.
"We're casting this show and we have an opportunity to do anything we want, why not cast the show with actors of colour?" the director said in an interview on By The Way With Jeff Garlin.
"Star Wars: The Force Awakens' makes its way to theaters on Dec. 16, 2015.
