Having dropped out of the “Wolfman” movie he was adapting for Ryan Gosling (who also bailed on the project, filmmaker Derek Cianfrance has found his next gig, and it’s arguably just as good. The “Blue Valentine” director will helm the true-crime movie “Roofman,” and he’s got an excellent star to boot in “Magic Mike” star Channing Tatum.
According to Deadline, the drama is based on the story of Jeffrey Manchester, an eccentric and charming serial robber who broke into more than 60 McDonald’s overnight via their roofs, then emptied the cash register in the morning after herding staff into freezers. The former U.S. Army Reserve officer became known as the ‘Rooftop Robber’ or ‘Roofman’ and was known for his gentle demeanor and for rarely resorting to violence.
Convicted and imprisoned in 2000, the criminal escaped jail and then evaded capture by holing up for months in a Toys’ R Us and Circuit City store in North Carolina. The movie will be his months-long journey of being on the lam from the law. The director wrote the screenplay with Kirt Gunn, who wrote “Sound of Metal,” a movie that Cianfrance would make until he decided to pass it off to his friend, filmmaker Darius Marder, and executive producer instead.
Cianfrance’s last major project was the acclaimed HBO series, “I Know This Much Is True” mini-series starring Mark Ruffalo, which won the actor a Primetime Emmy Award, a Golden Globe Award, and a Screen Actors Guild Award.
Tatum last appeared in Steven Soderbergh’s “Magic Mike’s Last Dance” and has at least two projects arriving in 2024, “Project Artemis” alongside Scarlett Johansson for Apple and “Blink Twice” (formerly titled, “Pussy Island,”) co-starring Naomi Ackie for director (and Tatum’s fiancée) Zoë Kravitz, which will arrive in August. [Deadline]
