Mickle and Nick Damici met while working on a student thesis film in 2001 . While there , they came up with the idea for a zombie film . This concept eventually morphed into their first collaboration , '' Mulberry Street '' , a horror film about gentrification in New York City . Mickle 's second film , '' Stake Land '' , was a '' New York Times '' Critics ' Pick . His 2013 film '' We Are What We Are '' was screened at the 2013 Sundance Film Festival and in the Directors ' Fortnight section at the 2013 Cannes Film Festival . He directed the film adaptation of Joe R. Lansdale 's novel '' Cold in July '' , in which Michael C. Hall starred , and is currently working on '' Esperanza '' , the story of a fatal wildfire in southern California , adapted by Sean O'Keefe from a book by John N. Maclean . In 2016 Mickle & Damici developed the TV series Hap and Leonard , based on Joe R. Lansdale 's novels , with Mickle directing four out of six episodes
2013 Sundance Film Festival
2013 Sundance Film Festival
Jim Mickle