BB-8 Creator Weighs In On Star Wars Robot's Gender

It's hard to deny the popularity and marketing power of BB-8.

Already the subject of more than a few tattoos and obviously toys, the little roto-droid has been plastered on everything from cups to all sorts of Star Wars merchandise and a big hit with fans--and the movie is still not out yet!

Recently it was rumored that BB-8 might have actually be a girl as well as integral to the plot, but is it true? EW talked to The Force Awakens creature shop head, Neal Scanlan, about the creative process of the ball-shaped wonder (which began from a simple sketch from director J. J. Abrams) and the decision on the gender.

"I'm still not sure, dare I say, whether BB-8 is male or female," Scanlan says. "BB-8 was female in our eyes. And then he or she became male. And that's all part of the evolution, not only visually, but in the way they move, how they hold themselves."

EW notes that while it's not clear a gender-type has ever been specified, but as of now everyone working on the movie calls BB-8 a "he."

We'll found out soon enough as Star Wars: The Force Awakens hits theaters December 18th!