The Place Beyond the Pines’ Derek Cianfrance is directing a movie about the McDonald’s thief who lived inside a Toys ‘R Us for six months.
According to Jeff Sneider’s The InSneider, Cianfrance’s next movie will be Roofman, which tells the true story of Jeffrey Manchester.
Who is Jeffrey Manchester?
Born in 1972, Manchester was a former United States Army Reserve officer who became known as the “Rooftop Robber” or “Roofman” after he began robbing McDonald’s locations across the United States in 1998. Manchester stole from these locations by cutting a hole through the roof in the middle of the night and then hiding out in the bathroom until morning.
After stealing from an estimated 40-60 McDonald’s, Manchester was arrested in 2000. He later escaped from prison and then hid in a Toys ‘R Us store for approximately six months. During the holidays, he moved into a nearby Circuit City to avoid detection.
He eventually robbed the Toys ‘R Us store, at which point law enforcement found his fingerprint on a Catch Me If You Can DVD. He was recaptured and is currently serving a prison sentence that ends in the 2030s.
Cianfrance confirmed he was working on a movie about Manchester in May 2022, as he told The Daily Gazette, “I’m writing something about this guy named Jeffrey Manchester who was infamous for robbing 45 McDonald’s and then escaping prison and living in Toys ‘R Us for six months.”
According to Sneider, Cianfrance hoped to reunite with Ryan Gosling, who starred in 2012’s The Place Beyond the Pines, for Roofman; however, Gosling is unable to appear in the film because of scheduling conflicts.
Instead, Cianfrance is now reportedly considering either Channing Tatum or Chris Pine to take Gosling’s place.
Along with The Place Beyond the Pines, Cianfrance is known for making 2010’s Blue Valentine and 2016’s The Light Between Oceans.
