Tuesday marked the beginning of an exciting era for Ghostbusters fans and feminists alike.
Director, Paul Feig, revealed the all-female cast for the new Ghostbusters film. And I practically whooped when I saw the tweet that confirmed his decision.
If you missed it; Kristen Wiig, Melissa McCarthy, Leslie Jones and Kate McKinnon are to don proton packs and scout for ectoplasm in what will undoubtedly be a hilarious re-make of the original.
If you're still left wondering why I'm so pumped by Feig's choices, then let me enlighten:
1) They're all women.
It goes without saying that this is amazing news in itself. The acting abilities of women alongside their potential to take on leading roles has been downplayed in Hollywood since time began.
Last year, the 2014 Hollywood Diversity Report suggested that the industry is dominated by white men (hello sausage party), with women and minorities dramatically underrepresented both on and off screen.
And this year's Oscar nominations did nothing to quash those findings.
But, funnily enough, the report also found that films with a larger amount of minority involvement had the highest median global box office receipts. And, unsurprisingly, films with the least minority involvement posted much lower box office receipts.
Moral of the story? Female casts rock and they have staggering potential to bring in the big bucks. A no brainer, right?
2) Three of the four Ghostbusters are to be played by actresses over the age of 40.
In Hollywood, this is a big deal. I repeat, BIG DEAL. The shelf life of an actress is often shorter than her male counterparts. Basically, Hollywood is ageist and sexist. Hmm, there's not much going for it really, is there?
By casting three women who are all over 40, Feig has stuck those ageist Hollywood norms where the sun don't shine - and we love him for it.
Of course it also sticks up two fingers to Russell Crowe's theory that women over 40 should blame themselves for the lack of decent roles they get to play. Oh Russell.
3) One of the actresses cast is a lesbian IRL.
As if women being underrepresented wasn't enough, spare a thought for the LGBT community who are overwhelmingly left out of the limelight. Feig is bringing the LGBT acting community to the forefront by casting openly gay comedian, Kate McKinnon.
Last summer, GLAAD (Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation) an organisation working with writers, producers and studios to ensure accurate and diverse representations of LGBT people on the big and small screens - released its second annual Studio Responsibility Index.
The report highlighted that out of 102 feature films released by major studios in 2013, just 17 of them included an LGBT character. Meanwhile less than half of those were characters with more than a single (often defamatory) dimension.
Regardless of whether McKinnon plays a gay character in the film or not (hey, it could happen). By casting her as a leading role, this is a step forward for the LGBT community.
4) One of the leading ladies is African American.
If you haven't yet come across Leslie Jones, then you're about to get an epic awakening. The black comedian and actress is currently a cast member on Saturday Night Live. She's also 46.
It's no secret that African Americans are underrepresented in film. A study by the University of Southern California found that Latinos are the most underrepresented, with African Americans closely following suit.
The report looked at the racial makeup of 3,932 characters from the top grossing films (in the US) between 2007 and 2013. In 2013 alone, the study found that just over a quarter of these parts were played by people from ethnic minorities.
This is a major win for Jones, particularly as she is relatively unknown in the acting world. Casting her as a leading lady in the re-make of such a huge blockbuster is great. And helps boost the representation of black women in film.
5) It features four very funny actresses.
Just the concept of four funny women starring as leading ladies in one of the biggest re-makes of all time is enough to get me in a tither. (What can I say? I really enjoyed Bridesmaids).
But there are still many people who believe that women and comedy don't mix. Or that women can't be funny - see here for a list of loosely scientific explanations as to why.
*Tumbleweed*
Sadly, if Hollywood was 'down with the kids' all of this wouldn't even be a big deal in the first place. But, seeing as it's not, I can't help but think that this casting is an epic victory for diversity, equality and - most importantly - funny women.
One small step for Feig, one giant leap for womankind.