Let's be real: when I heard there would be a new revamped "Ghostbusters" film with an all-female cast, I was pumped!

Yes, woman power! Yes, female representation in heroic roles!

But alas, upon some further digging incited by the recent release of a photo of Chris Hemsworth playing the role of the "Ghostbusters" receptionist, I discovered a number of articles about the film that are highly Hemsworth-central. While casting a man in a role stereotypically played by a woman is itself wonderfully progressive, the shift in the focus of the film from Kristen Wiig, Melissa McCarthy, Kate McKinnon and Leslie Jones — the four leading ladies — to instead focus on Hemsworth seems like a step back.

Now don't get me wrong, I appreciate Hemsworth as much as the next fangirl or fanboy, but these articles either assume a female heteronormativity or male homosexuality, or they simply imply a stronger audience interest in Hemsworth than the stars of the film by assuring his presence in this (almost) all-female setting.

The online article by Polygon about the "Ghostbuster"Lego release posits a cover photo of Hemsworth's likeness in Lego form, while the viewer has to scroll down to view the four main females in the collection of additional photos. I understand that writers of online articles have the authority to compose pieces from their own perspective for a specific demographic — as I do each week with Odyssey. I simply wish to call attention to the opportunity that this film holds to prove that big name Hollywood films can be successful without relying on male actors to sustain them. Gender aside, Chris Hemsworth is an extremely popular figure, but why not give the leading ladies the chance to be the upstanding heroes?

This is not a man-hating manifesto by any means, but rather a response to the male-dominated cinema that still exists today. In a 2015 study, it was found that a mere "29 percent of major characters and 30 percent of speaking characters in the top 100 films were women or girls."

How is this possible? These are the actual statistics and cannot be brushed off as feminist exaggerations. Yes, we see women in films all the time, but if we stop to analyze the roles they fulfill, we must ask: how are they actually being represented? More often than not it is in relation to a male protagonist. We cannot continue to shine the spotlight upon men, especially when women are actually landing these sparse leading roles! The aim is gender equality, but that cannot be achieved if the little limelight occupied by women is constantly being refocused onto the man.

“Women are not a niche audience," said Dr. Martha Lauzen at the Center for the Study of Women in Television and Film at San Diego State University, "And they are no more ‘risky’ as filmmakers than men. It is unfortunate that these beliefs continue to limit the industry’s relevance in today’s marketplace."

In the conclusion of her statement, she addresses the lack of female directors in Hollywood and goes on to say: "In films with at least one woman director and/or writer, girls or women made up 39 percent of protagonists, while in films with only male directors and writers, girls/women made up 4 percent of protagonists." This is a call to support more women in directorial, production and writer positions.

The male director of the revamped "Ghostbusters"who defies these statistics, however, is Paul Feig, who directed 2011's majority female-casted comedy "Bridesmaids." Needless to say, this guy is helping the cause of getting women in the forefront.

Now let's familiarize ourselves with these female protagonists, shall we?

Kristen Wiig

Best known for her comedic roles on "Saturday Night Live" as well as her starring role in Feig's "Bridesmaids," Wiig follows a very similar path to her "Ghostbusters" predecessors — Dan Aykroyd and Bill Murray specifically.

In an interview with the Los Angeles Times, Wiig was asked if she has ever been in a film that had gained as much controversy and attention as Ghostbusters. She responded: "No. And the fact there was so much controversy because we were women was surprising to me. Some people said some really not nice things about the fact that there were women. It didn't make me mad, it just really bummed me out. We're really honoring those movies."

Melissa McCarthy

Best known for her start in "Gilmore Girls"and her fearlessly outlandish roles in both "Bridesmaids"and "The Heat," Melissa McCarthy doesn't give a second thought to the hateful commentary. In an online interview on "Refinery 29" McCarthy said: "I don’t read any of it. Between getting to do this dreamy job of 'Ghostbuster'— with three other women that I already know and am absolutely crazy about ... I just don’t do it. And it doesn’t improve me in any way."

Kate McKinnon

Current "SNL" standout, Kate McKinnon has recently been making her way onto the big screen in more peripheral roles — such as one half of a lesbian couple in 2015's "Sisters." She was listed in Xfinity.com's "20 Stars to Watch in 2016," so look out for her refreshingly open, brazen humor!

Leslie Jones

Another current standout from "SNL," Jones began her career on the NBC show as a writer and soon became part of the cast. Jones represents two underrepresented minorities in not only being a lady Ghostbuster, but the sole black member of the four protagonists. Her participation in this project at once helps the movement of mixed-racial casts and reminds us of the unfortunate and continuing tradition of the overwhelmingly low representation of people of color in the cinema. Hopefully, her presence will attribute to a future growth in the numbers of people of color in principle roles in Hollywood. I also hope to see her name more often on lists of contributing writers in comedies.

So, there you have them.

This reimagining of "Ghostbusters" with women as the action heroes catapults this 1980s storyline into the 21st century, but not without tie-backs to the original. On the official "Ghostbusters" 2016 page, there are quotations from the original Ghostbusters — the OGs, if you will. Dan Aykroyd, who is credited with creating the franchise, Bill Murray, Ivan Reitman and Ernie Hudson share their expectations of the new film and, in effect, pass on the ghost busting torch. My initial reading of their quotes incited outrage. The women were receiving approval from men of which they have no necessity! But my more rational side realized that these actors were the first to characterize the roles these women now play. While only in retrospect is it possible to criticize the cast being made up of mostly men in the original film, a forward movement of female empowerment is evident in the familial communication between the past and present-day casts.

It is my sincere hope that the potential for this film to illustrate women as the courageous, independent and strong protagonists is fully realized. We have to wait until the July 15, 2016 release to see!