User blog comment:KATANAGOD/Black Ops II Day 1 Preorders Already Beating MW3's/@comment-3062838-20120504200007/@comment-1263839-20120505132039

There is no possible way for Reznov to have a major role in the story for Black Ops II. He'd be in his 70's (and obv. dead because of Black Ops) in the 80's and he'd be over 110 in 2025. Mason and Hudson are probably in the 80's section during that Operation. They never exactly built the 15 year bridge between World at War and Black Ops, like not saying what happened to the Americans at all (Miller, Polonsky/Roebuck's fates fully described) and barely explaining why Reznov spent 15 years plotting to escape Vorkuta just to decide not to at the end. So taking another leap wouldn't be too harmful to do.

As for Zombies, it is never said that the Celebrities died, nor is it ever said that they were effected by the Earth being hurt. And no info on it has been revealed, so for all we know what's left of the Original Group will have a major role. To be honest, it felt more like a survival game mode (i.e, actual Zombie apocalypse/Zombie game mode) during NDU, Verruckt, SNN and DR, before they were being called the Original Group as if everything had to revolve around them.