Melissa McCarthy In Talks For GHOSTBUSTERS With Jillian Bell And Cecily Strong In The Mix

THR is reporting that Melissa McCarthy is finally in early talks to take a role in Paul Feig's Ghostbusters reboot. However, they are cautious since McCarthy's CBS series and other film projects could become an issue. Melissa has been linked for the film ever since it was announced, and seems like a lock.

On the other hand, we've seen a huge amount of other actresses Sony and Paul have met with. The list of ladies in the mix also include Jennifer Lawrence, Emma Stone, Rebel Wilson (Pitch Perfect) and Lizzy Caplan (The Interview, Cloverfield).

THR mentions two other names which are Jillian Bell (Eastbound And Down, Workaholics, 22 Jump Street) and Cicely Strong (SNL). Jillian was my favorite part of 22 Jump Street so I see where Feig and Sony are coming from. No, I have not watched Workaholics and I've heard she is excellent there as well.

It should be noted that Emma has been talking with Sony about the project even when it was still going to be the third sequel and not a reboot, they want her badly for the film. I just hope they go for comedians here.

Also, why the fuck is Sony only looking at white women? There seven actresses officially linked, and we know of a few others who haven't been named by trades (like Kristen Wiig). The commonality with all these ladies is that they're all white. I'm actually shocked Sony hasn't even tried to throw in a couple of names for appearance-sake. I would assume people of color still exist in New York City, and basically everyone else on the planet.

You'd think someone like rising comedian Mindy Kaling would be at least asked. She isn't even being mentioned for contention even though some of these ladies are in fact her peers. Being apart of the Apatow crew and having a wildly popularly series which is set in New York you'd think she'd get a shot.

I'm not even saying Mindy is the only female comedic actress of color out there perfect for this film. Dear White People's Tessa Thompson is a strong contender for me, since her breakout comedic performance. She also is apart of the sprawling cast of the acclaimed civil rights film Selma.

Hell, why aren't beloved comedians like Rashida Jones or Maya Rudolph even being mentioned? These two ladies are always killing-it in film and television. They are used extensively by Hollywood and Maya was the bride in Bridesmaids. Even Latina comedic actress Aubrey Plaza hasn't been approached, it's not like she's overly busy these days. I'm just appalled that we aren't seeing a more diverse casting search, while Sony can take some of this blame Paul Feig is at fault as well.


SOURCE: THR