No, the ‘rooftop robber’ isn’t back in Charlotte. It’s Channing Tatum filming a movie here
Filming of a new movie that will cast a a spotlight on one the biggest crime capers in the Charlotte area will begin this fall.
The true crime movie “Roofman,” starring Channing Tatum of “Magic Mike” fame and directed by “Blue Valentine” Oscar nominee Derek Cianfrance, will film around Charlotte from October through December, Austin, Texas-based casting agency The Cast Station confirmed in an email Wednesday to The Charlotte Observer.
The feature-length film is in pre-production now, according to the Charlotte Regional Film Commission’s website, and is seeking applications for crew members. It’s unclear when the movie will be released.
The film is based on the story of serial robber Jeffrey Manchester, known as “Roofman” or the “Rooftop Robber.”
He broke into dozens of McDonald’s restaurants across the U.S., including in the Charlotte area, by entering through the roofs over two years until he was nabbed in 2000 in Gaston County.
Four years into his sentence, Manchester escaped from an Anson County prison and hitchhiked to Charlotte, where he hid for months inside a Toys R Us and abandoned Circuit City store on Independence Boulevard.
The California man and former U.S. Army reserve officer survived on baby food and snacks before being caught. His fingerprint on a “Catch Me If You Can” DVD in the store led to his recapture.
The movie will focus on Manchester’s prison escape and six months on the run, according to film industry publication Deadline. The story described the lead character as “an eccentric and charming serial robber.”
Film commission officials did not respond to requests for comment Wednesday.
‘Real people’ wanted for the movie
The Cast Station is looking for “real people” roles, including lawyers, police, a judge, prison guards, news anchors, dentists and a pastor, casting director Karmen Leech told The Charlotte Observer on Wednesday.
Some actors in the secondary role may have a couple of lines. “Nothing we’re doing right now is for extras,” she said. “We’re looking for day-player roles.”
Video submissions will be accepted for the next couple of weeks. The daily rate is $1,204.
More about the ‘Roofman’ case
Manchester was arrested after two restaurant break-ins in Gastonia and Belmont in Gaston County the same night on May 20, 2000, according to Charlotte Observer archives. In both incidents, the 28-year-old came in through the roof wearing a ski mask and ordered employees into the 33-degree walk-in cooler at gunpoint.
He was called “a polite robber,” making sure employees had jackets and let an employee remove sausage frying on the grill before locking them in, according to Observer archives.
A total of $8,000 was taken in the two holdups, which happened five hours apart. Manchester was arrested the same night. He was convicted and sentenced to 45 years in prison in November 2000 after pleading guilty, Observer archives show.
In June 2004, clinging to the underside of a delivery truck, Manchester escaped the medium-security Brown Creek Correctional Institution metal plant in Polkton, according to Observer archives.
He hid out at an abandoned Circuit City and Toys R Us store in Charlotte. The 6100 E. Independence Blvd. site is now home to Carpet Discount Warehouse and its neighbor Vizion Church.
Manchester emerged from hiding and became “entangled in a web of unexpected relationships,” according to The Cast Station. Manchester regularly went to nearby Crossroads Presbyterian Church, where he met and began dating a woman with two children.
Six months later, Manchester was captured on Krefeld Glen Drive off Independence Boulevard in Charlotte, according to Observer archives.
The 52-year-old’s release date is Dec. 4, 2036, according to the N.C. Department of Adult Correction.
Other crime movies cast in Charlotte area
This is the second high-profile film based on an infamous Charlotte-area crime following the 2016 release of crime comedy “Masterminds” about the notoriously botched 1997 $17 million Loomis Fargo heist in Gaston County. It was the second-largest bank heist in American history at the time.
Tatum, alongside Adam Driver and Daniel Craig, also starred in another Charlotte-area crime film. The 2017 fictional movie “Logan Lucky” is about two brothers’ attempt to pull off a heist during a NASCAR race at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
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