Back in November 2015, when director James Gunn was just starting pre-production work on Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, the filmmaker landed on social media to shoot down a rumor that Marvel Comics hero Mar-Vell, the original Captain Marvel, was in fact Star-Lord's mysterious father. He also proclaimed that, from that point forward, he would no longer address any plot rumors stemming from his movie. But it seems his rumor-debunking sabbatical has ended. The filmmaker jumped on Twitter earlier today to shut down a recent report that claimed the Marvel Comics characters known as The Elders of the Universe will play an important role in this sequel.

The report originated at Schmoes Know, although the site took down their story after James Gunn called them out on Twitter. The report claimed that the Elders would be comprised of The Collector (Benicio del Toro), Ayesha (Elizabeth Debicki) and the unidentified characters played by Sylvester Stallone and Sharon Stone. Here's what James Gunn had to say about this unsubstantiated rumor.

"Where do you guys get this nonsense? Who are all the people running around giving fake inside scoops to journalists?"

Before it was taken down, the original report claimed that The Elders played an important role in the superhero sequel, claiming that they serve as the "impetus for Star-Lord to seek out Ego the Living Planet." The trailer shown at Comic-Con confirmed that Kurt Russell is playing Star-Lord's father Ego, but there was no mention of The Elders of the Universe appearing in Guardians of the Galaxy 2 before this report surfaced. It's also worth noting that it had long been confirmed that Benicio del Toro's The Collector would not be featured in this sequel.

In the Marvel Comics, The Elders Of the Universe were The Collector, The Gardener, The Possessor, The Grandmaster, The Contemplator, The Champion and The Runner. There had also been speculation that the Elders may cross over to Thor: Ragnarok, since Jeff Goldblum is playing The Grandmaster in that movie. As for Ayesha's involvement, James Gunn has already confirmed that she is the primary villain in the sequel, revealing that she is the "golden High Priestess of a genetically-perfect people called the Sovereign", adding that her character is "not a woman to be screwed with."

Marvel has already set a May 5, 2017 release date for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, which will kick off the summer movie season next year. We don't know when the first footage will be released to the public, but Chris Pratt recently teased that this sequel will be the "biggest spectacle movie of all time." With Doctor Strange hitting theaters next month, it's possible the first trailer will be attached to that movie, but we don't know for sure. Take a look at James Gunn's original tweet, along with another where he promises to stop debunking rumors once again.