Sometimes, life is truly stranger than fiction. That turned out to be the case for one particularly whimsical, wild criminal robbing McDonald’s in North Carolina during the early 2000s. Giving Robin Hood a run for his money with his creativity, but not with his generosity, current prison inmate, Jeffrey Manchester, is getting the full Hollywood biopic treatment in the upcoming film, Roofman. Under wraps for quite some time, the first full-length trailer was released this past week, starring Channing Tatum as the outlaw in question. Directed by Derek Cianfrance, the trailer seems to be too unbelievable to be true, but like all good true-crime stories, it is.
Roofman stars Kirsten Dunst alongside Tatum, who has been having a fantastic run as of late, with critically acclaimed films like Civil War and The Power of the Dog. The trailer already embraces a dark, comedic tone, masterfully combining the child-like nature of Manchester, who hides in a children’s toy store to avoid capture, while also highlighting the grim nature of his reality, which is impending imprisonment. The supporting cast is filled with acclaimed actors like Peter Dinklage, LaKeith Stanfield, Ben Mendelsohn, and Juno Temple, and Roofman is set to release in theaters on October 10, 2025. All centered around one man’s daring dreams and demise, it’s no surprise that Jeffrey Manchester’s larger-than-life persona translates perfectly to the big screen.
What Is ‘Roofman’ About?
Tatum stars as real-life convict Jeffrey Manchester, a military man whose divorce from his wife and children at a young age set off a life of crime. Beginning in the late ’90s into the early ’00s, he robbed multiple McDonald’s by breaking in through the roofs, where he’d then hold employees up at gunpoint. Manchester was then eventually captured and imprisoned after trying to rob a McDonald’s in North Carolina. Roofman mainly focuses on the time after Manchester broke out of prison, when he lived in a Toys ‘R’ Us store and the vacant Circuit City next door for six months, before getting captured again. Making a make-shift room by using Spider-Man paraphernalia, posters, and toys to make it feel like home, the film highlights the absurdity of it all. As Manchester starts to feel more comfortable, he ventures outside of Toys ‘R’ Us and visits a local congregation, where he meets and falls in love with the recently divorced, real-life local, Leigh Wainscott (Dunst). Unable to leave her behind as the heat starts to breathe down his neck once more, the film is a funny and thrilling cat-and-mouse chase across North Carolina and toys.
Channing Tatum Plays Real-Life Convict, Jeffrey Manchester in ‘Roofman’
From seeking refuge in a toy store, breaking out of prison under a trunk in broad daylight, to crashing into McDonald’s through the ceiling like some super spy out of a Mission: Impossible movie, everything about Manchester’s story sounds like a mythic fable. After Manchester graduated from high school, he enlisted in the military and became part of the iconic 82nd Airborne Division. It was there that he learned how to paratroop and mastered jumping down from great heights. This all proved invaluable to Manchester when he used his expertise to start robbing restaurants, while he was already married with children. When his wife filed for divorce after reporting a domestic disturbance, Manchester fully embraced his persona as the Roofman.
Deemed the “Roofman Robberies” by the media, Manchester would drill through the roofs of restaurants while he was stationed in North Carolina, and jump down from great heights from the ceiling. Mostly robbing McDonalds’, he would break in armed before the store opened, and have the employees go into the walk-in freezer, then start the robbery. Once finished, he’d call the police to inform them of the employees trapped in the freezers, and he continued to do this for seven months before he was eventually captured and sent to prison. On top of his athletic abilities and resourcefulness, restaurant employees and law enforcement alike were struck by how kind the robber was, even making sure employees had jackets before heading into the walk-in freezer.
Noted for his polite manner, one McDonald’s manager noted, ““He was really polite, he was apologizing…He said, ‘Would you please, ma’am, get on the floor, would you please, ma’am get down?’” This is where the story gets even crazier, as once Manchester was caught and sentenced to 45 years in prison in North Carolina, he managed to escape in broad daylight by hiding underneath a truck. It remains one of the most famous and shocking convict escapes of the 21st century. After escaping prison, he found refuge for six months in North Carolina in one of the most unusual of places, a Toys ‘R’ Us store.
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‘Roofman’ Focuses on HowJeffrey Manchester Used Toys ‘R’ Us as a Hide-Out
Though Manchester’s life of crime before prison is a riveting tale, Roofman focuses on the time after that, when he escapes prison, and falls in love with a local woman while on the run. Director Cianfrance’s new movie takes place over six months in 2004, when Manchester was hiding out in a North Carolina Toys ‘R’ Us store and a vacant Circuit City next door. He was able to build make-shift rooms within the stores, and went largely undetected. Going by the alias “John Zorn,” he also infiltrated the local community and fell in love with a recently divorced woman, Leigh Wainscott. Played by Dunst in the film, the two began a courtship and romance, until the police showed up at Wainscott’s place of work and informed her of his true identity. She then aided the police in his capture by agreeing to set up a meeting with Manchester.
Currently serving time in prison, Manchester’s legend as a lively, wild soul who enacted kindness while holding up McDonalds employees, only adds to his enigma. A new kind of role for Tatum, in that he’s playing a real-life person, he spoke to EW about what it was like to play Manchester, and that he would call the real-life convict in prison:
“It’s impossible to tell someone’s real life story in 90 minutes…I really hope Jeff likes the movie. He’s made some bad decisions in his life. That is a fact. But he is probably the first one to tell you that. But I just find him such a beautiful and unfortunate soul. It breaks my heart; he’s so smart and alive, even on a phone call. The first time I ever talked to him, I was nervous, and he knew things about me and asked me about my life. He made things really easy.”
Director Derek Cianfrance is no stranger to robberies and heist movies, as he previously directed the acclaimed crime saga, The Place Beyond the Pines, starring Ryan Gosling as a motorcycle-riding bank robber. Also known for his hard-hitting tragic romance, Blue Valentine, Cianfrance has emerged as one of the most interesting and daring voices in independent cinema, and is transitioning into the mainstream with Roofman. Cianfrance co-wrote the film alongside Kirt Gunn, and executive produced it with Tatum as well. As of now, Manchester is still serving time in Central Prison in North Carolina, where he’s since tried to break out twice, but failed.
- Release Date
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October 3, 2025
- Director
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Derek Cianfrance
- Writers
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Kirt Gunn, Derek Cianfrance
- Producers
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Alex Orlovsky, Dylan Sellers, Duncan Montgomery, Jamie Patricof, Lynette Howell Taylor