Typically, when a show does solid ratings, gets awards consideration, and runs for seven years, a network will give the creator and producers a chance to finish their story before outright canceling it. Unfortunately, that was not the courtesy given to the makers of “Ray Donovan,” as the long-running Showtime series was abruptly canceled after its 7th season, which actually left on a bit of a cliffhanger and zero resolution. Fans, as you might expect, were not happy. And now, Showtime has announced plans to let “Ray Donovan” return, but not as a TV series, but as a feature film.
According to THR, Showtime announced plans to allow “Ray Donovan” to finish its story in a feature film that will see the folks responsible for the series returning. For those that don’t watch the show, “Ray Donovan” stars Liev Schreiber as a “fixer” who is hired by high-profile clients to clean up messy situations using bribes, payoffs, threats, and other nefarious activities. Schreiber co-stars with Jon Voight and Kerris Dorsey in the series, with the latter two actors also returning for the film.
“When ‘Ray Donovan’ went off our air after seven great seasons, we heard from so many of its loyal fans that they were not ready to say goodbye to Ray and the wonderfully dysfunctional Donovan clan,” Showtime’s co-head of entertainment Gary Levine said. “And so, for them, we are delighted that Liev and David are creating a thrilling new chapter of this iconic series.”
The “Ray Donovan” film will be co-written by Schreiber and the series’ showrunner, David Hollander. In addition to his scripting duties, Hollander will also helm the feature. When the series was canceled last year, the showrunner spoke openly about the shock of the news.
Filming is expected to begin later this year, which would lead us to believe that a 2022 debut for the “Ray Donovan” feature film is likely.
Here’s the official logline for the new film:
“Mickey is in the wind and Ray is determined to find and stop him before he can cause any more carnage. It will also weave together the present-day fallout from the Donovan/Sullivan feud with Ray and Mickey’s origin story from 30 years ago.”