‘Ray Donovan’ Movie Gets Approximate Premiere Date, Showtime Boss Promises “Graceful Landing” After Abrupt Cancellation

Nellie Andreeva
·2 min read
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Laying out Showtime’s programming plans for the next year at TCA, the network’s Presidents of Entertainment Gary Levine and Jana Winograde said that the Ray Donovan feature-length movie will debut this coming winter. Levine later clarified that the film will premiere in the first quarter of 2022, which would be exactly two years after the series’ surprise cancellation that led to outcry from fans.

Levine was asked about Showtime’s decision to cancel Ray Donovan after seven seasons and the process that led to its resurrection for a wrap-up movie.

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“It’s a very difficult decision sometimes,” Levine said about making the call to end a series. “In the best of cases you can plan for it, and it can be a nice gentle landing; Homeland had a beautiful finale in that regard as did Shameless, and sometimes it can’t be planned and circumstances just make the decision a little more abrupt, and sadly that was the case with Ray. I don’t think it was ending it after seven seasons— although some people would like it to go on forever— I think it was the abruptness of the cancellation.”

Ray Donovan was canceled after the Season 7 finale had already aired. Showrunner David Hollander admitted at the time that the show’s creative team had been blindsided by the decision as the seventh season had not been planned as a final chapter.

Levine is now promising viewers a satisfying ending with the movie in which Liev Schreiber is returning as uber fixer Donovan and is co-writing the script with series showrunner David Hollander, who will also direct. Jon Voight is reprising his role as Mickey Donovan, and Kerris Dorsey will again portray Ray’s daughter Bridget.

“We did hear from fans, and we are nothing if not responsive to our audience. I think this Ray Donovan two-hour movie will go a long way to making that landing more graceful.”

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