Showtime has made the first episode of the new drama series Ray Donovan available online in its entirety, for zero monies.  The show stars Liev Schreiber as a “fixer” for the rich and famous in Los Angeles whose life is complicated when his powerful father—whom he may or may not have framed—is unexpectedly released from prison.  The series’ extended trailer looked quite promising, and the show should make a strong summer companion series for Dexter, which returns for its final season later this month as well.

Hit the jump to watch the entire first episode of Ray Donovan, which is unfortunately only available for viewers in the US, and look out for Allison’s review on the site later this month.  The series premieres on Showtime Sunday, June 30th at 9pm ET/PT.

The Weinstein Company has released the first trailer for director Lee Daniels’ (Precious, The Paperboy) historical drama The Butler.  Based on a true story, the film stars Forrest Whitaker as Cecil Gaines, a butler who served at the White House from 1952 to 1986.  The trailer plays up the film’s awards prospects as we see a flash of famous faces playing the many notable persons who walked the halls of the White House throughout this period (Alan Rickman is particularly striking as President Reagan), and that’s balanced with an overview of Gaines’ life in a racially tense America.  While the film certainly looks like it has the potential to be powerful, cautious optimism is key whenever Lee Daniels is involved.

Hit the jump to watch the debut trailer.  The film also stars Oprah Winfrey, David Oyelowo, Mariah Carey, John Cusack, Jane Fonda, Cuba Gooding Jr., Terrence Howard, Minka Kelly, Lenny Kravitz, Melissa Leo, James Marsden, Alex Pettyfer, Vanessa Redgrave, Liev Schreiber, and Robin Williams.  The Butler opens on October 18th.

A couple of new trailers have been released for two new pay cable drama series.  Showtime has unveiled an extended look at its new series Ray Donovan, which stars Liev Schreiber as a “fixer” for the rich and famous in Los Angeles whose life is complicated when his powerful father—whom he may or may not have framed—is unexpectedly released from prison.  Despite the bland title, the show actually looks like a fairly interesting character drama with a pair of strong performances by Schreiber and Jon Voight.  The series premieres on Showtime on Sunday, June 30th.

Additionally, Starz has unveiled a new look at its period series Da Vinci’s Demons.  From executive producer David S. Goyer (Batman Begins), the show stars Tom Riley as the titular artist/inventor/swordsman/idealist living in Renaissance Florence, struggling to exist within the confines of his own reality and time as he begins to not only see the future, but invent it.  The series premieres on Starz on Friday, April 12th.  Hit the jump to watch the trailers for Ray Donovan and Da Vinci’s Demons.

The first theatrical trailer for director Mira Nair’s (Monsoon Wedding) adaptation of the Mohsin Hamid novel The Reluctant Fundamentalist has been released online.  The film tells the story of a young Pakistani professor (Riz Ahmed) whose success as a businessman in America takes a turn following the events of 9/11.  The pic is told in a frame story, as Ahmed’s character is being interviewed after the fact in Lahore by an American journalist (Liev Schreiber) who is trying to uncover the truth behind a kidnapping.  The pic looks like a rather engaging thriller that also tackles some serious social issues that our nation faced in the wake of the 9/11 attacks.

Hit the jump to watch the trailer.  The film also stars Kiefer Sutherland and Kate Hudson.  The Reluctant Fundamentalist opens on April 26th.

The comedy omnibus Movie 43 has something for everyone with its enormous, star-studded cast: Emma Stone, Hugh Jackman, Kate Winslet, Naomi Watts, Terrence Howard, Halle Berry, Jason Sudeikis, Gerard Butler, Kristen Bell, Chloe Moretz, Josh Duhamel, Johnny Knoxville, Elizabeth Banks, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Richard Gere, Anna Faris, Justin Long, Liev Schreiber, Uma Thurman, Seann William Scott, Kieran Culkin, Leslie Bibb, Jimmy Bennett, Ricky Gervais, Stephen Merchant, Kate Bosworth, Patrick Warburton, Tony Shalhoub, Chris Pratt, Jack McBrayer, Aasif Mandvi, Bobby Cannavale.

Movie 43 opens on January 25, 2013, so Relativity sent over an exclusive TV spot.  If you can handle jokes about homeschool incest and inappropriate uses for hot sauce, watch it after the jump.  And make sure to check out the red band trailer.

Showtime has released a one-two combo of images and trailers for their upcoming debut shows Masters of Sex and Ray Donovan. Starring Lizzy Kaplan and Michael Sheen as real-life pioneers of the study of human sexuality, Masters of Sex follows the lives of Virginia Johnson and William Masters as their work sparks the sexual revolution and catapults them into fame.

Ray Donovan stars Liev Schreiber in the title role as a problem-solver for the rich, famous and powerful in Los Angeles. When his father (Jon Voight) is unexpectedly released from prison, he and his family find themselves in the cross-hairs. Hit the jump to check out the new images and trailers for both Showtime series.

If you like your movie trailers short on plot, heavy on the ad-libbing and redder than a Romney state, then you’ll love this new red-band effort from Movie 43.  The Peter Farrelly ensemble comedy stars everyone you’ve ever heard of in Hollywood and even some you haven’t.  Movie 43 has released another red-band trailer previously, but the new one mostly focuses on a stream of improv from Jason Sudeikis who is admiring Kristen Bell’s crotch.

Starring Elizabeth Banks, Kristen Bell, Halle Berry, Leslie Bibb, Kate Bosworth, Gerard Butler and everyone else, Movie 43 opens on January 25th, 2013.  Hit the jump to see the new red-band trailer.

The first images from the R-rated comedy omnibus Movie 43 have gone online.  The film has been in development for years since it takes a while to find time in the schedules of a gigantic cast whose ranks include Emma Stone, Hugh Jackman, Kate Winslet, Naomi Watts, Terrence Howard, Halle Berry, and Jason Sudeikis just to name a few.  The films in the collection were directed by Brett Ratner, Elizabeth Banks, Mike Judge, Peter Farrelly, Bob Odenkirk, Steve Baker, Damon Escot, and more.  While I’m sure the collection will be a mixed bag, these images show off the potential for some hilarious short films.  There will also be a major plotline, but Farrelly, who also produced the film with Charlie Wessler, wouldn’t tell EW what it is.

Hit the jump to check out the images and to learn about some of the plots.  The film also stars Gerard Butler, Kristen Bell, Chloe Moretz, Josh Duhamel, Johnny Knoxville, Elizabeth Banks, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Richard Gere, Anna Faris, Justin Long, Liev Schreiber, Uma Thurman, Seann William Scott, Kieran Culkin, Leslie Bibb, Jimmy Bennett, Ricky Gervais, Stephen Merchant, Kate Bosworth, Patrick Warburton, Tony Shalhoub, Chris Pratt, Jack McBrayer, Aasif Mandvi, and Bobby Cannavale.  Movie 43 opens January 25, 2013.

We’ve got a few big names for some big projects in casting news today, so let’s get to it:

• Jon Favreau is set to join director Martin Scorsese’s The Wolf of Wall Street, starring Leonardo DiCaprio in the adaptation of Jordan Belfort’s memoir.
• Liev Schreiber is on board for Lee Daniels’ The Butler, the biopic of longtime White House staffer, Eugene Allen.  The picture already sports an impressive cast, featuring Forest Whitaker, David Oyelowo, and Oprah Winfrey as the three leads.
• We previously reported that Jay Baruchel was circling a role in the RoboCop reboot by Elite Squad director, Jose Padilha.  New details have now emerged for his possible character.

Hit the jump for more information on each casting assignment.

Showtime already has a fine line-up of programming with Dexter, Shameless and The Borgias holding strong, not to mention freshman series Homeland snagging some great awards nominations recently, but that line-up is looking to beef up a bit with the addition of two new series to the pay cable channel. Showtime has just announced a series pick-up for both Ray Donovan, featuring Liev Schreiber in his first series regular role, and Masters of Sex, featuring the spectacular Michael Sheen and the stunning Lizzy Caplan. The two series couldn’t be more different. Details on each after the jump!

Harry Potter actress Emma Watson is staying incredibly busy following the release of the final entry in the most popular film franchise of all time.  She recently wrapped Sofia Coppola’s next film, The Bling Ring, she’ll be seen later this year in The Perks of Being a Wallflower, and she’ll be making an appearance in the star-studded co-directorial debut of Seth Rogen, The End of the World.  She was set to reteam with Potter director David Yates on the promising drama Your Voice in My Head, but Yates was forced to drop out of that project due to family issues.  While it seems like production on the drama may be pushed back a bit further, Watson has found an incredibly suitable replacement project to shoot in the meantime: Darren Aronofsky’s Noah.  Hit the jump for more.

As the film is available on demand starting today, we’re happy to bring you an exclusive TV spot for the hockey comedy Goon this afternoon. The film stars Seann William Scott as a bouncer with a penchant for fighting who joins a downtrodden hockey team. I’ve heard nothing but great things about the movie, and both Steve and Matt were huge fans. In his review, Matt described the pic as “just the right mix of sweetness, vulgarity, and offbeat humor.” This short TV spot does a great job of selling the humor and hockey aspect in a matter of seconds, and I can’t wait to see the full film.

Hit the jump to watch the TV spot. Jay Baruchel, Liev Schreiber, and Alison Pill also star. Goon is available VOD starting today and hits theaters on March 30th.

Australian actors and directors are lining up to participate in the anthology film Sydney Unplugged.  According to THR, Anthony LaPaglia, Toni Collette, Liev Schreiber, Russell Crowe, Alex Proyas, David Michôd, Ivan Sen, John Curran, Kieran Darcy-Smith, Rachel Ward, and Ray Lawrence will each helm a short film.  Sydney Unplugged is along the lines of previous “famous-people-love-major-city” movies New York, I Love You and Paris, J’Taime.

Anthology movies are always a mixed bag, but when each short comes from a different director, it’s at least exciting to see who will come up with the best of the bunch.  I’m particularly excited to see what Michôd (who previously directed Animal Kingdom) comes up.  Filming is set to begin in Sydney in the second half of 2012.

A new trailer for the hockey comedy Goon has been released. This is the fourth trailer we’ve seen thus far, but it’s arguably the best yet. Seann William Scott stars as a guy who has a knack for fighting that’s recruited to join a hockey team. While the film doesn’t appear to be anything mind-blowing, there are more than a few laughs in this trailer. Steve and Matt caught the film at TIFF and loved it, so I’m looking forward to checking it out once it’s released.

Hit the jump to watch the trailer. The film also stars Jay Baruchel (who co-wrote the movie), Live Schreiber, and Alison Pill.  Goon opens March 30th, 2012.

Showtime greenlit the pilot for the new drama series Ray Donovan back in August, and now a lead actor has been found. Deadline reports Liev Schreiber (X-Men Origins: Wolverine, Salt) will lead the potential new series from Southland creator and executive producer Ann Biderman and Mark Gordon. Schreiber is indeed playing the titular role in a show that will focus on Ray (Schreiber), a professional “fixer” for LA’s rich and famous, the go-to guy in Hollywood who deftly solves the highly confidential problems of the city’s most intriguing personalities and yet he can’t quite escape the damage in his own troubled family. This is Schreiber’s first series regular role on TV besdies doing a four-episode arc on CSI way back in 2007. Of course, the actor has previously been nominated for an Emmy after his fantastic turn as Orson Welles in the TV movie RKO 281. Schreiber is truly an underrated talent, so I’m interested to see him lead his own series on cable.