It looks like the viral hashtag and subsequent campaign, Oscars So White, has paid off - these latest Academy statistics are a big win for diversity and inclusivity campaigners.

Some 928 people have been invited to join the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences 'Class of 2018'.

What was once (unofficially) deemed as an exclusive hierarchy of white men, the Academy continues on its pledge to rebrand itself and be more in line with the diverse industry it claims to represent.

The 91-year-old Academy has announced that it will increase the Oscar voting pool to a new high of 8,200 people - notably inviting almost 1,000 film industry stars to broaden its voting base.

You may wonder which household names are among the newly initiated? According to the New York Times, popular thespians such as Amy Schumer, Mindy Kaling, Sarah Silverman, Christine Baranski, Tiffany Haddish and Jada Pinkett Smith all received a nod. As did Daniel Kaluuya and Timothée Chalamet (each nominated for the Best Actor earlier gong this year) and writer J. K. Rowling.

All in all, the Class of 2018 was comprised of 49% women and 38% minorities.

Should this year's additions all accept the offer to join the illustrious Academy, the official voting base will be made up of 31% females and 16% minorities.

It's a huge leap from the embarrassment of the #OscarsSoWhite debacle that resulted from the 2014, 2015 and 2016 awards ceremonies - whereby not one minority actor or director was nominated.

These latest figures show that the Academy is almost halfway towards its goal of doubling the membership of women and minorities by 2020.

For a full list of the 928 new members, see The Hollywood Reporter here.