Led Zeppelin finally license ‘Stairway to Heaven’ for Greta Gerwig’s ‘Narnia’ movie
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Netflix’s new trailer for Greta Gerwig’s Narnia: The Magician’s Nephew features a heavily remixed version of Led Zeppelin’s “Stairway to Heaven”. The band’s decision to license the 1971 song is notable because it has previously turned down requests to use it in films.
Gerwig reportedly sent Jimmy Page and Robert Plant an early cut of the film to seek permission. Page said he was thrilled Gerwig chose the song, while Gerwig described it as fitting the story’s spiritual journey. The film is due in cinemas worldwide on 12 February 2027.
- Led Zeppelin licensed “Stairway to Heaven” for Gerwig’s Narnia trailer.
- The trailer uses a heavily remixed version of the 1971 track.
- The film is scheduled for cinemas on 12 February 2027.
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Led Zeppelin are a British rock band whose best-known songs include “Stairway to Heaven”, released in 1971. The song has been closely controlled by the band and has rarely been approved for use in films.
Greta Gerwig is directing a new film based on C.S. Lewis’s The Magician’s Nephew, part of his Narnia series about a fantastical world reached from our own. The story explores themes including creation and faith, which helps explain why Gerwig sees the song as fitting its journey.
The choice brings together a classic rock song and a major fantasy adaptation, while highlighting how rarely Led Zeppelin have allowed the track to be used in a film. In the past, the band turned down requests to feature it in films including Wayne’s World and Almost Famous.
Full account
Led Zeppelin have licensed ‘Stairway to Heaven’ for a trailer promoting Greta Gerwig’s forthcoming Narnia film, marking an unusual clearance for a song the band have often withheld from film-makers. The 1971 track has been reworked for the first preview of Narnia: The Magician’s Nephew, an adaptation of C.S. Lewis’s novel that returns to the origins of the fictional world.
Gerwig sought permission from Jimmy Page and Robert Plant and showed them an early cut of the film, according to reports. Page said he had met Gerwig and praised her work, adding that he was pleased she had chosen the song. Gerwig described its themes as fitting the story’s spiritual journey, including the risk of following false guides or taking the wrong path. She also said the musicians understood the film’s emotional core; she noted that they share an interest in Lewis’s work.
The choice is notable given Led Zeppelin’s reported past refusals, including requests connected with Wayne’s World and Almost Famous. The band’s music has appeared in other films: ‘When the Levee Breaks’ featured in Argo and The Big Short, while ‘Immigrant Song’ was used in Thor: Ragnarok. The reports present this new licence as a rare instance of the group approving a prominent use of ‘Stairway to Heaven’.
The film stars Emma Mackey as the White Witch, Daniel Craig as the Magician and Meryl Streep as the voice of Aslan, with Carey Mulligan and others also in the cast. The Magician’s Nephew was published in 1955 and is the sixth Narnia book by publication order, though its events precede those of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. The film is scheduled to open in cinemas on 12 February 2027 and reach Netflix on 2 April.
Where outlets differ
One report says Gerwig secured permission for the song to appear in the trailer; the other says she met Page and Plant to get it into the movie, leaving the precise extent of the licence less clear.
The accounts quote Page and Gerwig differently: one foregrounds Page’s praise of Gerwig and her films, while the other emphasises Gerwig’s explanation of the song’s themes and the musicians’ affection for C.S. Lewis.
The first report stresses Led Zeppelin’s history of refusing film requests and lists earlier soundtrack uses. The second gives more space to the novel’s place in the series, the cast, Gerwig’s childhood connection to Narnia and the Netflix release date.