Kevin Feige says the more representative the sample that is making decisions about a project, the better the film will eventually be.

Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige has found the secret ingredient of turning films into blockbusters and he says it is “inclusion”. Feige believes with examples such as Black Panther, it is for everyone to see that the more representative the sample that is making decisions about a project, the better the film will eventually be.

At The Hollywood Reporter’s Producer Roundtable, the Marvel boss was asked what he feels about putting up an inclusion rider in the contract.

To this Feige first replied with a question: “Should people be forced to do it? And maybe the answer is yes, maybe the answer is no.”

He explained further, saying, “If you’re in a position of power and you’re the one doing the hiring, we have learned – on our last number of movies and a number of movies that haven’t come out or haven’t been announced – that the more diverse the group of people around the table, the better the movie.”

Feige recalled Black Panther director Ryan Coogler asking him if he had any production designers and costume designers in his mind that he would like to work with.

“And we said, ‘Sure, but if you have some let us know.’ And he (Coogler) said, ‘Well, I’ve worked with various people on films that were excellent but much smaller than ‘Black Panther’. And in the case of every single crewmember that he brought to us, they blew us away, they were incredible.

“And it was because we were open to listening and giving people an opportunity. And now, you know, we’re desperate to work with them all on all of our films going forward,” he said.