John Boyega hits out at trolls who attacked his Star Wars: The Last Jedi co-stars

John Boyega has slapped down Star Wars trolls who launched relentless attacks on cast members from the film franchise.

"If you don't like Star Wars or the characters understand that there are decisions makers [sic] and harassing the actors/ actresses will do nothing," Boyega wrote on Twitter.

"You're not entitled to politeness when your approach is rude. Even if you paid for a ticket!"

In a follow-up tweet he added, "To the majority of Star Wars fans thank you for supporting and putting yourselves in our shoes. You understand that there is a process so much appreciated!"

Boyega, who played Finn in last year's Star Wars: The Last Jedi, released the statement a week after his co-star Kelly Marie Tran quit Instagram after suffering months of racist and sexist abuse on social media.

The Vietnamese-American actress, who played Rose Tico in The Last Jedi, was subjected to abusive comments and harassment from some fans who took aim at her ethnicity and appearance.

Tran, 29, deleted all her Instagram posts and left a line in her biography that reads, "afraid, but doing it anyway".

In response, The Last Jedi director Rian Johnson hit out at the trolls and described them as "manbabies".

"On social media a few unhealthy people can cast a big shadow on the wall, but over the past 4 years I've met lots of real fellow SW fans," Johnson said. "We like & dislike stuff but we do it with humour, love & respect. We're the VAST majority, we're having fun & doing just fine."

Tran's withdrawal from social media followed in the footsteps of co-star Daisy Ridley, who quit Instagram last year saying it was "highly unhealthy for people's mental health".

"I don't do social any more. I came off it last September and I will never get back on," the 26-year-old told Radio Times. "It's such a weird thing for young people to look at distorted images of things they should be."

The next Star Wars movie, Episode IX, is set to be released in December 2019.