Led Zeppelin license ‘Stairway to Heaven’ for Greta Gerwig’s Narnia trailer
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Led Zeppelin have licensed a substantial portion of “Stairway to Heaven” for the trailer for Greta Gerwig’s Narnia: The Magician’s Nephew, a rare use of the song in a film. The choice gives the nearly three-minute trailer a prominent classic-rock score and marks a change in the band’s long reluctance to license the track for cinema.
The trailer includes the famous guitar introduction, the bridge, Robert Plant’s outro line and Jimmy Page’s solo. Earlier licensing disputes led to the song being removed from home releases of Wayne’s World and a scene cut from Almost Famous, although the band has licensed other songs for films. Gerwig said Plant and Page connected with the heart and drama of the Narnia story; Plant is known to admire C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien.
- Led Zeppelin licensed “Stairway to Heaven” for Gerwig’s Narnia trailer.
- The nearly three-minute trailer features several major sections of the song.
- The decision reverses the band’s longstanding reluctance to license it for films.
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Led Zeppelin are a British rock band whose best-known songs include “Stairway to Heaven”, released in 1971. The track builds from a quiet acoustic opening to a guitar solo and a forceful finish, and has become one of rock music’s most recognisable recordings.
Bands and songwriters control how their music is used in films, so filmmakers generally need permission to include a song. Led Zeppelin have often been cautious about allowing “Stairway to Heaven” into films, although they have licensed other songs; C.S. Lewis’s Narnia books, meanwhile, are fantasy stories that explore magic, courage and the struggle between good and evil.
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Led Zeppelin have licensed “Stairway to Heaven” for the trailer for Greta Gerwig’s forthcoming Narnia film, marking a rare use of the song in a Hollywood production. The nearly three-minute trailer for Narnia: The Magician’s Nephew uses a newly arranged version of the 1971 track, including its recognisable guitar introduction, Robert Plant’s vocals and Jimmy Page’s closing solo. The film is based on C.S. Lewis’s novel about the creation of Narnia and is due in cinemas in February, ahead of its Netflix release.
Gerwig sought permission directly from Page and Plant and showed them an early cut of the film. She said the song’s account of a spiritual journey, including the risk of following false guides or taking a wrong path, suited the story. Page praised Gerwig’s work and said he was pleased she had chosen the track. The trailer’s final sequence builds towards the appearance of Aslan, voiced by Meryl Streep, as the music rises.
The licence stands out because the band have previously declined requests to use the song in films. In Wayne’s World, a guitar-shop scene featured a brief passage in its 1992 cinema release, but the music was removed from subsequent home editions after a licensing dispute, weakening the joke built around a shop sign forbidding the song. Cameron Crowe also cut a scene from Almost Famous in which characters listen to “Stairway to Heaven”; a later DVD version restored the scene without the music and invited viewers to play the song themselves.
The band have allowed other tracks into films, and “Stairway to Heaven” has appeared in their own concert film, The Song Remains the Same. The new trailer gives the song a prominent role in a contemporary fantasy setting, pairing its gradual build with images of Narnia taking shape. Gerwig has said she was moved by the musicians’ decision, while the trailer offers a fresh introduction to the song for younger audiences.
The reports differ in their emphasis. One focuses on the song’s history of rejected film uses and the Wayne’s World licensing dispute; another highlights Page’s public endorsement and describes the trailer’s remix and production. The third centres on Gerwig’s meeting with Page and Plant, the song’s thematic fit with the novel, and the trailer’s visual reveal of Aslan. They also vary in detail about the release: one calls the film a Netflix adaptation, while another specifies a cinema release in February before streaming.
More coverage
- Louder — Led Zeppelin finally relent: Stairway To Heaven soundtracks the new Narnia trailer
- Billboard — Here’s How Greta Gerwig Got Led Zeppelin to Say Yes to Using ‘Stairway to Heaven’ in ‘Narnia’ Trailer
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Originally published by Consequence as “Led Zeppelin Finally Loosen Their Grip on “Stairway to Heaven” for New Narnia Movie”.