Greta Gerwig Secures Stairway to Heaven for Netflix Narnia Trailer
Led Zeppelin has granted a rare sync license for “Stairway to Heaven,” allowing the 1971 classic rock staple to score the first trailer for Greta Gerwig’s upcoming Netflix adaptation, Narnia: The Magician’s Nephew, as reported by loudersound.com. The film is scheduled to open in theaters worldwide on February 12, 2027, ahead of its streaming release on Netflix on April 2, 2027.
The trailer features an isolated, reverb-drenched vocal track from Robert Plant alongside Jimmy Page’s signature guitar solo. According to Variety, Gerwig wrote directly to Page and Plant to request the song and showed them an early cut of the film.
How the Director Won Over Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin has famously declined high-profile Hollywood requests to use “Stairway to Heaven” in the past, turning down cues for films such as Wayne’s World and Almost Famous, as noted by loudersound.com. However, the band has shown a more permissive licensing approach in recent years for movies like Argo, The Big Short, and Thor: Ragnarok.
🔥👀 NO WAY. Netflix must have paid MILLIONS to Led Zeppelin to use “Stairway to Heaven” for the trailer. They have never let it be used in a film or trailer and are protective of all their music. Wayne’s World paid $100K just to use FOUR NOTES of “Stairway to Heaven”in 1993.… https://t.co/o3lz3cztm7 pic.twitter.com/iWkdYvQkma
During a trailer premiere event in New York, Gerwig explained to interviewer Stephen Colbert that the surviving band members responded to the thematic core of her adaptation, as covered by Rolling Stone. She began work on the earliest drafts for the project in 2020. “I talked to them about a lot of the themes of the film,” Gerwig stated, as reported by Rolling Stone. “They saw the heart and the story and the drama in it.”
Gerwig added that the song aligns with the narrative trajectory of C.S. Lewis’s original 1955 novel. “It’s an epic song, and narratively, about a spiritual journey, a path of fake idols and wrong roads you can go down,” Gerwig told Variety.
Cast and Theatrical Rollout Plans
The preview reveals a faithful adaptation of Lewis’s chronological beginning to the Chronicles of Narnia series, where two children in Edwardian England stumble into the Wood Between Worlds and witness the birth of Narnia. Newcomers David McKenna and Beatrice Campbell star as Digory Kirke and Polly Plummer. The cast also features Daniel Craig as Uncle Andrew Ketterley, Emma Mackey as Jadis—the queen destined to become the White Witch—Carey Mulligan as Digory’s mother, and Meryl Streep as the voice of the lion deity Aslan.
The release strategy marks a milestone for Netflix. Narnia: The Magician’s Nephew will play in cinemas with a five-to-eight-week theatrical window, including IMAX sneak previews starting February 10, 2027, before arriving on the streaming platform.
Frequently Asked Questions About Narnia: The Magician’s Nephew
When does Narnia: The Magician’s Nephew release in theaters and on streaming?
The film opens in theaters worldwide on February 12, 2027, featuring IMAX sneak previews starting February 10, 2027. It will then stream globally on Netflix beginning April 2, 2027.
Who stars in Greta Gerwig’s Narnia adaptation?
Newcomers David McKenna and Beatrice Campbell star as the lead children, Digory and Polly. The ensemble cast also includes Daniel Craig, Emma Mackey, Carey Mulligan, and Meryl Streep as the voice of Aslan.
Why is the use of Stairway to Heaven notable?
Robert Plant and Jimmy Page routinely reject requests to license “Stairway to Heaven” for films, previously turning down cues for major projects like Almost Famous. Gerwig secured the exception after showing the band an early cut and discussing the thematic parallels between the song and C.S. Lewis’s story.
Worth a look