WarnerMedia adopts inclusion rider, unveils new policy

WarnerMedia has announced a new company-wide policy to promote diversity and inclusivity in all of its productions that hail from Warner Bros, HBO, and Turner.

As a first step towards implementing, the studio has partnered with actor Michael B Jordan and his forthcoming legal drama, "Just Mercy", will be the first production to adopt the new policy.

Jordan, who serves as an executive producer on the film, and his agent Phillip Sun, helped WarnerMedia launch this policy.

"I'm proud that Warner Bros, and our sister companies HBO and Turner, are willing to state unequivocally that this is where we stand on diversity and inclusion. Our policy commits us to taking concrete action to further our goals, to measure the outcomes and to share the results publicly," said Kevin Tsujihara, Chairman and CEO, Warner Bros.

"I'm also thrilled that we were able to work with Michael B Jordan to craft a meaningful policy and framework that will apply to all of our productions, across all of our divisions, going forward," he added.

Jordan said he was inspired by the call for an "inclusion rider" made by Oscar winner Frances McDormand in her Academy Awards speech.

"Inclusivity has always been a no-brainer for me, especially as a black man in this business. It wasn't until Frances McDormand spoke the two words that set the industry on fire inclusion rider that I realized we could standardize this practice. It allowed me to formally pledge my production company, Outlier Society, to a way of doing business," Jordan said.

"The WarnerMedia family has introduced an approach that accomplishes our shared objectives, and I applaud them for taking this enormous step forward. I'm proud that our film, 'Just Mercy', will be the first to formally represent the future we have been working toward, together. This is a legacy-bearing moment," he added.