Roofman: Does the Channing Tatum movie take inspiration from true events? Details revealed

Channing Tatum's upcoming movie Roofman follows the story of a man who escapes from jail. In a quest for survival, he breaks into several McDonald's outlets through the roof to steal food. Hence, he is 'Roofman'. Later, he makes a Toys"R"Us store his home and plots his most ambitious robbery at the outlet.

Is Roofman based on a true story? The answer is yes. The film is based on the a real person named Jeffrey Manchester who was a US army veteran and who struggled to support his family. Having no choice, he finally resorted to robbing a Toys"R"Us store.

Let us find out more about the true events that inspired the storyline of Roofman.

The true story behind Roofman

Jeffrey Manchester's crime spree started in 1998, when he began robbing various McDonald's outlets in the US. He had served in the US Army earlier, but he began robbing as a means of survival.

He would meticulously plan each robbery, and his operation would start from the roof. He would dig a hole in the roof of the store and enter to steal. He was finally caught by the police in 2000, and imprisoned at Polkton.

However, Jeffrey Manchester managed to escape from prison in 2004, and moved to Charlotte. There, he started living in a Toys"R"Us store. He sustained on infant food available in the store, and began plotting a robbery in the store. He carefully observed how the store functioned, and began stealing products.

Soon, the officials of the store become suspicious and Manchester was caught. He was convicted again, and this time jailed at Central Prison in Raleigh, North Carolina. Since then, he has made two unsuccessful attempts to run away from prison. Jeffrey Manchester is still serving jail time and is expected to be released in 2036.

The film Roofman takes a closer look at what happens at the toy store. Jeffrey Manchester experiences a kind of redemption upon falling in love with a woman named Leigh Wainscott. According to the film, after experiencing love, Manchester decides to redeem himself and change his ways. However, the shadows of his past loom large over his present.

An important thing to note is, during his stint as a criminal, Manchester never committed any act of violence toward anyone. Which shows that he had no ill intention to harm people. He was forced to resort to criminal ways driven by poverty, which was an outcome of the system's failure and economic inequalities that often push people to any lengths in order to survive.

Channing Tatum, who has essayed the role of Jeffrey Manchester in Roofman, spoke to Entertainment Weekly about his role and the film. He said:

"I really hope Jeff likes the movie.”

The actor added, about Jeff Manchester:

"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."

Channing Tatum also mentioned that, along with Jeffrey Manchester, many real-life people involved with his life have been portrayed in Roofman.

"So many people in Jeff's story are in the movie,” he said, adding: “The real life preacher is in the movie. The guy that drove the truck that Jeff escaped in was in the movie. When you're around some of these real people, all of a sudden it makes it very, very real. It puts pressure on you to pay attention.”

Along with Tatum, the film stars Kirsten Dunst, Peter Dinklage, Ben Mendelsohn, and many others. Roofman is helmed by Derek Cianfrance, and it is slated to be released on October 10, 2025.