Star Wars 7: JJ Abrams might have cast the first female stormtrooper in The Force Awakens

John Boyega has already been confirmed to play the first black soldier

Stormtroopers in the Star Wars: The Force Awakens teaser trailer (Star Wars)

JJ Abrams’ upcoming Star Wars movie is reportedly set to feature a female stormtrooper for the first time, with an unknown actress believed to have been cast.

Rising star Amybeth Hargreaves, 30, will play one of the traditionally male characters in Star Wars: The Force Awakens, if reports by BBC journalist Lizo Mzimba prove accurate.

Mzimba wrote on Twitter that Hargreaves has taken on the role, despite her seemingly lacking any film credits bar 2012 project The Martyrs and not having an IMDB page.

Mzimba, known for his former stint presenting Newsround, then debated on Twitter whether Hargreaves’ limited experience suggests she may be “filming a double” for rumoured new stormtrooper Gwendoline Christie.

The Game of Thrones actress has been connected with Star Wars for a while but there has yet to be any confirmation from producers that she will feature.

John Boyega will be playing the first black stormtrooper in The Force Awakens, after he was seen in the role in the film’s first trailer last year.

The 22-year-old received criticism online for his casting after #blackstormtrooper trended on Twitter, with one user writing “I have a feeling the new Star Wars is going to be filled with PC, SJW trash”.

Boyega soon hit back with a note on Instagram reading “To whom it may concern…get used to it,” and thanked fans who had supported his exciting news.

Star Wars: The Force Awakens reaches UK cinemas on 18 December.