User blog comment:Master Sima Yi/Assassinews 09-07-'12 — Assassin's Creed film news/@comment-5170920-20120710181841

Yes, all of those used the article of Variety as source, so any information in the articles that is not mentioned in Variety, is speculated. In the original article there is no mention of Desmond whatsoever. Check your sources, most articles speculate now-a-days.

The only thing in Variety that "refers to Desmond" is that the description of the movie states that "Plot revolves around a man who learns his ancestors were trained assassins after he is kidnapped by a secret org with ties to the Knights Templar, and sent back in time to retrieve historical artifacts." For all we know, all subjects could've been kidnaped by abstergo, we can never be too sure.