AceShowbiz -

James Gunn tells people not to take any casting rumor regarding his new movie "Guardians of the Galaxy" for granted. Via his Facebook page, the director stated, "Almost everything in that Variety article on the Guardians of the Galaxy casting (and all the following articles based on it) was/is completely inaccurate. Just for the record."

The post has been deleted, but some movie sites already cited his statement. When IGN interpreted his statement as a denial, Gunn quickly cleared things up by saying, "I didn't deny (or confirm) specifics. I just said the majority of the Variety article was inaccurate. So your headline is off."

The Variety article, which Gunn referred to, said that "Chuck" alum Zachary Levi and "Cloud Atlas" actor Jim Sturgess were the two frontrunners for the lead role of Peter Quill a.k.a. Star-Lord, the human-alien hybrid who is the hero of the saga. Sturgess was among five actors who screen-tested for the role, while Marvel Studios reportedly was impressed by Levi's portrayal of Fandal in "Thor: The Dark World".

Other names originally rumored to be included in the cast were Joel Edgerton ("Warrior"), Jack Huston ("Boardwalk Empire"), Lee Pace ("Lincoln", "The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey"), Eddie Redmayne ("Les Miserables"), Garrett Hedlund ("Tron Legacy"), James Marsden ("X-Men"), and Sullivan Stapleton ("Animal Kingdom").

"Guardians of the Galaxy" is set for an August 1, 2014 release in the United States.