True crime podcast about West Texas sex worker being adapted for the screen
A true crime podcast about a West Texas male sex worker is being developed for the screen.
Variety reported in April that Johnathan Walton Media struck a deal with The Hideway Entertainment to develop the podcast, “The Handyman of West Texas.” Both creative entities have yet to decide if the project will be made into a film or series.
“The Handyman of West Texas” follows Mickey, an oilfield laborer turned sex worker who serves wealthy female clientele in Midland.
The six-episode podcast began in late January and wrapped up in mid-April. A seventh episode, where “Handyman Mickey” answered questions from listeners, released earlier this week.
“Mickey isn’t just fixing leaky faucets or hanging shutters; he’s a generously endowed sex worker ‘laying hardwood’ that’s left hundreds of wealthy West Texas housewives breathless — and their marriages teetering on the edge of divorce court,” the podcast’s description states.
‘Handyman of West Texas’ coming to screens
Johnathan Walton, who used to work as journalist in Houston and San Antonio, is working on the adaption of “The Handyman of West Texas.”
After his stint in journalism, Walton transitioned into producing reality television and worked on shows like “Shark Tank” and “American Ninja Warrior.” He released the “Queen of the Con” podcast in 2021, which investigated con artists and pulled the “curtain back on this elaborate world of professional lying.”
That series proved to be a success and saw Walton produce five additions seasons over the next few years. He also produced other podcasts like “Cocaine Air” and “The Quarterback and The Con Artist.”
“I’ve always had an unintentional knack for uncovering and befriending fascinating characters, be they con artists, cocaine kingpins or oil-fracking sex workers,” Walton told Variety. “I have learned that things are seldom ever what they first appear to be. And that the most compelling and original stories are always hiding in between the lines. And I always seem to find them by being stubbornly curious and asking tons of uncomfortable questions.”
“The Handyman of West Texas” adaption is still in the early stages, so no release date or filming information has been released yet.
