I got this question recently:
“How long do I wait to hear from a producer who requested my screenplay? At what point do I take the non-response as a pass?”
It’s a good question and there is no right answer. I’ve had companies call me back after 6 months or more and want to option a script. While it’s exciting to send your script out to producers who request it, it really doesn’t matter how long it takes them to get back to you because you shouldn’t be sitting around waiting for them. You should be writing new material and sending your finished material out as much as possible. I don’t have any exact numbers as to how many requests you need to get before you can expect an option but it can be quite high.
I have a film noir script (which I consider one of my best scripts) that I have optioned twice over the last 10 years and I’ve probably had more than 100 requests for it (which means literally probably more than a thousand query letters). So that means in some cases you might need to get 50 requests to get 1 option. The point is, while having a producer request your script is nice, it’s probably not going to amount to anything so you shouldn’t be sitting around waiting to hear from them you should be pushing ever froward.
I would say it’s appropriate to follow up with each company that you sent your script to and politely ask (either via email or phone) what the status is of your submission. I wrote a post about following up: Following up with a company that has requested your full script which explains how and when to follow up with companies you’ve submitted to.
This was actually a question that I submitted. Actually, I never asked for a NDA – a producer (who’s legit but independent & small-budget) who requested it actually suggested it to me – and I’ve had another do so rather recently. So it just piqued my curiousity as to how normal that is and if it’s a practice I should take up, but I’ve never actually asked a producer to sign one.