Transformers Officially Returning For Stunning 40th Anniversary Celebration

Published Sep 3, 2026, 7:30 AM EDT James is a gaming writer from London who has spent thousands of hours exploring titles from every genre. Though he has a particular affinity for multiplayer titles like World of Warcraft, Destiny 2 and League of Legends, he has also put thousands of hours into single-player experiences, from deep RPGs to epic PC strategies. When he's not playing or writing, he can usually be found supporting his beloved Brentford FC. Sign in to your ScreenRant account There's no doubt that the Transformers franchise remains one of the biggest and best franchises in media, with an offering that spans across TV shows, movies and physical product releases. What you might not have realized is that it is also celebrating a major milestone this year, with 40 years since the release of Transformers: The Movie. As part of that, there are plenty of planned drops on the way that fans will want to be aware of, including the start of a major new partnership that has already confirmed the first of many exciting releases is coming soon. As first reported by Forbes, Upper Deck and Hasbro are entering into a multi-year global licensing partnership to produce trading cards and tabletop games around some of the latter's most iconic IPs. Transformers is top of the list, but we can also expect to see official collaborations with GI Joe, Power Rangers, M.A.S.K. and Jem and the Holograms. To kick all that off, the companies have confirmed a special trading card set will be released to celebrate the 40th anniversary of Transformers: The Movie, scheduled to drop exclusively at Target stores in mid-September. In confirming the news via a joint official statement, the companies shared a little insight into what fans can expect from the set: "Later this year fans can also look forward to theTransformers: The Movie 40th Anniversary trading card set under Upper Deck’s iconic Fleer brand, known for its timeless trading card designs and nostalgic appeal among collectors. The 100-card base set highlights memorable characters and scenes from the film across Fleer-inspired base and parallel designs. "Inserts include 'From Screen to Page' themed around artwork from the 20th anniversary IDW comic series, 'More Than Meets the Eye' flip lenticular cards that showcase characters in both robot mode and vehicle mode, and 'Instruments of Destruction' 3D lenticular cards that highlight the Decepticons and other villains from the film. The set also features autograph cards from select voice actors." There's no doubt that Hasbro has desperately needed more collectibles for fans to get their hands on in recent years, and there's no more logical next step in that process than trading cards. There hasn't been any word from the companies yet on when we might expect a full reveal on the cards included in the Transformers set or a release date, but expect to be waiting into 2027 for those. First Film Transformers First TV Show The Transformers Cast Frank Welker, Peter Cullen, Corey Burton, John Stephenson, Jack Angel, Michael Bell, Dan Gilvezan, Casey Kasem, Christopher Collins, Shia LaBeouf, Megan Fox, Josh Duhamel, Tyrese Gibson, John Turturro, Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, Mark Wahlberg, Hailee Steinfeld, Anthony Ramos Created by Hasbro Latest Film Transformers: Rise of the Beasts Upcoming Films Transformers One