Asian-American actor John Cho is "taking over" Hollywood as the hero in movies such as Marvel's Avengers, Spectre and The Martian.

Surprised? Don't be. A campaign on social media using the hashtag #StarringJohnCho combines humor and Photoshop skills to put an Asian-American leading man in Hollywood blockbusters .

#StarringJohnCho features movie posters altered to put Cho, known for his roles in films such as Star Trek and Harold And Kumar, front and centre.

Digital strategist Wiliam Yu, a 25-year-old New Yorker, started the campaign that "literally shows you what it would look like if today's Hollywood blockbusters cast an Asian-American actor - specifically, John Cho - as their leading man", according to the official #StarringJohnCho website.

The website also said that "only 1% of lead roles go to Asians".

This campaign is a reaction to "whitewashing" in films, seen in recent casting choices like white actresses Tilda Swinton playing The AncientOne, the Tibetan man in Marvel's Doctor Strange; Emma Stone as Allison Ng in Aloha; and Scarlett Johansson as Major Motoko Kusanagi in the upcoming Hollywood adaptation of Japanese manga Ghost In The Shell.

Here are some of the posters to show how Cho would look like in hero mode.