AceShowbiz -

There have been many speculations about BB-8's gender identity. Some suggested that the ball droid, which will appear in "Star Wars: The Force Awakens", was a female robot. Neal Scanlan, the head of "The Force Awakens" creature shop, finally made it clear that the droid was a boy.

Scanlan was initially hesitant about the gender of the beloved character, especially because its body structure doesn't look like a boy or a girl. "I'm still not sure, dare I say, whether BB-8 is male or female," he said. Then, he confirmed that the droid was actually a male. "BB-8 was female in our eyes. And then she became male. And that's all part of the evolution, not only visually, but in the way they move, how they hold themselves," Scanlan said.

Over the past few months, people have considered that the droid is a girl. A source close to director J.J. Abrams said that the director "was determined to make BB-8 cute and strong - and female." Lucasfilm president, Kathleen Kennedy, was also reported to call BB-8 "she."

"The Force Awakens" brings back Harrison Ford as Han Solo and Carrie Fisher as Leia, while also introducing some new characters played by Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, Adam Driver and Oscar Isaac. The seventh installment of the blockbuster franchise will arrive Stateside on December 18.