Online business website C21 Media has reported that the UK media company "Entertainment Rights" (ER) has secured the international distribution rights (aside from North America and other areas) to the upcoming "Transformers" animated cartoon series.

The company has signed on to represent 26 30-minute episodes of the new season, including a 70-minute special. Other than the time discrepancy for the special - 70 minutes versus the previously heard 90 - this falls in line with news we heard previously on the "Transformers: Animated" series.

No specified timetable for the launch of the series was given although the UK magazine "Broadcast" gave the series a loose 2008 date for international distribution. It is still expected that the North American debut (distributed by Cartoon Network) will be "shortly" after the "Transformers" movie is released, as Tara Strong noted when she confirmed she was playing the character "Suri."

The show will use a "new 2D style that will be the show's trademark harks back to the original 20-year-old cartoon," says C21 Media. However, ER states that the "new Transformers has a different audience in mind." It is unspecified what audience that is.

Staff already on board for the show include Executive Producer Sam Register (Teen Titans); Line Producer Vincent Aniceto (Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends); Head Writer Marty Isenberg (X-Men, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles); and Lead Character Designer Derrick Wyatt (Teen Titans).

In rather confusing wording, C21 Media states that ER holds distribution rights for four seasons of the show totalling 154 episodes. We here at TFormers believe this represents the previous iterations of the "Transformers" cartoon franchise, including Transformers: Cybertron. It is unknown which other series the rights span.

Thanks to the ever-name-changing "Texas Pete" from our TFans Board for the news.

Corey Burton will voice Megatron, Tom Kenny as Starscream, and Tara Strong as Suri.

Rumors in voice work include David Kaye portraying Optimus Prime.