‘Ray Donovan’ Season 8 Isn’t Happening, But a Movie Is Headed Showtime

Ray Donovan will get a proper ending after all. A year after the Liev Schreiber-led drama was canceled after just seven seasons, sparking outrage among fans, Showtime is officially bringing back the canceled drama for a “feature-length” film. Season 8, however, is not in the works, with the film set to act as a final chapter for the series. The Wednesday announcement came as part of ViacomCBS’ investor day, which included a host of announcements on the rebranding of streamer CBS All Access to Paramount+, which can be subscribed to with free trial by clicking here.

News of the film was confirmed Wednesday. According to the official synopsis, the film will pick up directly after the events of Season 7, “with Mickey in the wind and Ray determined to find and stop him before he can cause any more carnage.” The film will also “weave together the present-day fallout from the Donovan/Sullivan feud with Ray and Mickey’s origin story from 30 years ago.” Production on the film is set to start later this year in New York, Deadline reports, with Schreiber returning to as Donovan alongside Jon Voight and Kerris Dorsey as Ray’s father and daughter, respectively. Schreiber will also co-write the script with series showrunner David Hollander, who will direct.

“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,” Gary Levine, Co-President of Entertainment at Showtime, said. “And so, for them, we are delighted that Liev and David are creating a thrilling new chapter of this iconic series.”

First premiering on Showtime in 2013, Ray Donovan follows the eponymous Donovan, who works as a fixer for a powerful law firm, arranging bribes, payoffs and other miscellaneous threats to grease the wheels of justice for the rich and famous. During its run, the series nabbed multiple Emmys and Golden Globes nominations, with Hank Azaria winning for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series back in 2016. In February of 2020, however, the series was abruptly canceled after seven seasons. The announcement immediately angered fans, who took to social media with the hashtags “Save Ray Donovan” and “Renew Ray Donovan” as they petitioned for Showtime to give it an eighth season to wrap up loose ends. At the time, Schreiber had even voiced his support for an eighth season, telling fans, “it’s too soon to say how or when, but with a little luck and your continued support, there will be more Ray Donovan.”

As The Hollywood Reporter notes, Showtime’s decision to give the series a wrap-up film isn’t unheard of. HBO revived Deadwood to bring the David Milch series to a proper end in 2019, with Firefly (Serenity), Breaking Bad (El Camino), Veronica Mars, Sense8, and Transparent also briefly returning for one-off films. The Ray Donovan movie does not yet have a premiere date.