'Ghostbusters' Shortlist Is Great But So White

I will advocate for Emma Stone all day erry day; I think she's a pretty naturally funny lady and an actress with a big future, and I'm thrilled to see her on the rumored shortlist for the female-centric Ghostbusters . So far, according to The Daily Beast, those gunning for roles in Ghostbusters include Stone, Jennifer Lawrence, Amy Schumer, Melissa McCarthy, and Lizzy Caplan, and that's reportedly just the tip of the iceberg. On top of that is Rebel Wilson, who reportedly already met with Bridesmaids director Paul Feig about it.

Now, that right there? That's a list of some of my favorite women in Hollywood. Like, that's effing great, and a world in which those women star in a movie together is a world I wanna live in.

And yet something about that list made my heart sink when I first saw it. Because all of those women are great, yes, and I can hardly advocate for any of them losing out on a gig this promising. But all of those women are also very white, and I also can't advocate for a world in which a Ghostbusters movie made in 2015 is less diverse than a Ghostbusters movie made in 1989. It just seems so entirely unavoidable, and it's not something I want from one of my favorite directors directing some of my favorite actresses.

Here are some women of color they should definitely consider:

Jessica Williams

She's my most enthusiastic choice — the other women on this list are also quite great IMHO, but Williams is primed for a breakout, she's hilarious, and she's got an energy that could really gel with some ghostbusting.

Lupita Nyong'o

Seems relatively unlikely, but if they're going for Oscar winners like Lawrence....

Mindy Kaling

She's been in a few movies but she's bigger than ever now, and after rocking it starring in her own sitcom I've got a feeling she could hold her own co-starring in a major comedy.

Aubrey Plaza

Parks just wrapped filming, and I could very easily picture her in this ensemble.

Nicole Byer

It is far past time Nicole Byer broke out.

There's every possibility that multiple of the women already on the shortlist are up for the same role; we certainly haven't heard the final word on what this cast is going to look like, and who it'll be whittled down to. But here's to hoping they take this opportunity to shine a light on some of the many funny women of color out there. And also Emma Stone.

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