Naman Shrestha
Based on the true story of Jeffrey Manchester, ‘Roofman’ is a biographical crime comedy-drama movie that follows the misadventures of a former Army ranger named Jeffrey Manchester. Being a struggling father, he resorts to stealing from multiple McDonald’s outlets, where he breaks in by cutting holes in the roof. As his robberies make the news, he is given the nickname — Roofman. Although he is taken into custody for his crimes, he manages to find a way to escape from prison. In order to prevent arrest, the charismatic thief and fugitive discovers a hideout inside a Toys “R” Us store.
While the police are searching for him, he tries to come up with a plan to stay out of jail. During his stay in the hidden space, Jeffrey assumes a new identity and falls head over heels in love with a divorced mother and employee named Leigh, who reciprocates the same feelings towards him. Inevitably, their romance is at risk of falling apart due to Jeffrey’s double life and past. Starring Channing Tatum, Kirsten Dunst, LaKeith Stanfield, Juno Temple, and Peter Dinklage, the Derek Cianfrance directorial encompasses the different locations that the professional thief’s journey takes him, especially several McDonald’s restaurants and the Toys “R” Us store where he hides from the law.
Roofman Filming Locations
Filming for ‘Roofman’ was conducted in North Carolina, particularly in the Charlotte metropolitan area. According to reports, principal photography for the biopic got underway in October 2024 and went on for less than two months before wrapping up in December of the same year. Jamie Patricof, one of the producers of the film, took to social media and shared his experience of being involved in the project. He stated, “On ROOFMAN there were so many people I had worked with & known for years and it made the experience that much better. There is nothing more rewarding to do then to get to work with your friends who are all the best in the business. I want to say thank you to every one of them. So many people who worked on this movie were old friends but I also got to make so many new friends and look forward to doing it again.”
Charlotte Metropolitan Area, North Carolina
Since the true events involving Jeffrey Manchester took place in Charlotte, North Carolina, the makers chose to shoot most of ‘Roofman’ on location, thereby maintaining authenticity in terms of the setting. A significant chunk of the movie is set inside the Toys “R” Us store where the thief hides out for several months. The production designer, Inbal Weinberg, found an abandoned Toys “R” Us right outside Charlotte, after looking for one across the nation for weeks. With even the floor scraped off, Inbal had to recreate a store circa 2004 from scratch. She told Variety how detailed and layered the director, Derek Cianfrance, wanted the set to be. “Derek said, ‘I want Channing to be able to walk around and grab whatever he wants, and if he grabs something, behind that something needs to be another item,” she revealed.
With the help of the art department and her team, the production designer successfully filled the massive 24,000-square-foot set with period-accurate toys and video games like Tickle Me Elmo dolls, Bad Buggy toy cars, and more. Talking about the making of the Toys “R” Us set, Derek told Indiewire, “2000 fluorescent lights. She had to put in all the copper wire that had been stripped. We had to restore the electricity, and then we had to fill it with period toys. It takes a lot of toys to fill up a toy store.” The scene where Channing Tatum runs without any clothes on through the store reportedly took about seven hours to shoot.
“Channing was fully naked. He’s wet, and he’s covered in soap suds for seven hours. And in between takes, he had to go back into that bathroom, turn on the water, and lather up again to get ready for the next take,” Derek told Esquire. While shooting, the filming unit used different lighting settings for when the store was open and when it was closed during night scenes. In order to shoot the scenes involving Jeffrey’s cubby inside the store, they tried to make the space feel tight and cozy. In an interview with The Contending, the cinematographer Andrij Parekh explained, “We made a half-circle cove, and then there was a removable wall so we could get the camera in and out.”
The Mecklenburg County Jail North at 700 East 4th Street in Charlotte was transformed into a movie set during the shooting process to tape the jail sequences. As for the courtroom scenes, they were seemingly shot at Gaston County Courthouse at 325 Dr M.L.K. Jr. Way in the city of Gastonia. Multiple exterior portions were also lensed in and around Freedom Park at 1908 East Boulevard in Charlotte. In Gastonia, the cast and crew members were also spotted on Spencer Mountain Road in October 2024. Important McDonald’s scenes were seemingly shot at an actual McDonald’s outlet in the town of Waxhaw. The filming unit also set up camp in the small suburban city of Mount Holly.
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