Derek Cianfrance to Direct ‘Roofman' About Prolific McDonald’s Robber Who Lived in a Toys ‘R Us

Now that he’s no longer directing “Wolfman,” director Derek Cianfrance might have found his next project, which could result in it being his first film in over 8 years.

Jeff Sneider is reporting, via his newsletter, subscribe here, that Cianfrance has hopped on board a film titled “Roofman”. The film will tackle the true story of Jeffrey Manchester who, in the late ‘90s, began robbing McDonald's locations across the United States.

His modus operandi would be to drill, hack and saw through the roof of the target buildings during the night or the early hours of the morning and waiting, often in a restroom, for the morning shift workers to come in. Once Manchester believed normal activities had begun, he would storm out of the bathroom carrying a firearm and hold up employees before ushering them into the freezer, locking them inside while he robbed the cash registers.

Manchester totaled around 40–60 robberies across the country. He also lived in a Charlotte Toys ‘r Us for most of his spree, surviving on kids' snacks and baby food, and exercising during the night when the store was closed by riding a bike throughout the store aisles.

This is a wild story, and Cianfrance helming this one seems like a good fit. The writer-director of “Blue Valentine,” and “The Place Beyond the Pines” has only released 3 films in the last 13 years — his last one was 2016’s ill-received “The Light Between the Oceans” which I definitely saw, but can’t remember a thing about.