Led Zeppelin Lets ‘Stairway to Heaven’ Soundtrack a Movie Trailer for the First Time, for Greta Gerwig’s Narnia Film

A reworked version of Led Zeppelin’s “Stairway to Heaven” plays throughout the newly released trailer for Greta Gerwig’s Netflix film Narnia: The Magician’s Nephew, which went online on October 13, 2026. It marks the first time the band has ever allowed the song to be licensed for a movie, closing out a standoff that had lasted for decades.

• Led Zeppelin previously turned down requests to use “Stairway to Heaven” in Wayne’s World (1992) and Cameron Crowe’s Almost Famous (2000), along with pitches from TV series such as Stranger Things and The Simpsons.
• Greta Gerwig says she sat down in person with guitarist Jimmy Page and singer Robert Plant and played them an early cut of her film to persuade them.
• Page and Gerwig both spoke publicly about the decision on October 13, including a trailer screening and conversation with Stephen Colbert at the AMC Lincoln Square IMAX theater in New York.
• Narnia: The Magician’s Nephew opens in theaters on February 12, 2027, then streams on Netflix starting April 2.

How Greta Gerwig Convinced Led Zeppelin to Say Yes

Gerwig has said she approached Page and Plant directly rather than going through a standard licensing request, showing them footage from the film before asking for their blessing. She has credited their shared affection for author C.S. Lewis as part of what moved them to agree, saying “They love C.S. Lewis.”

Explaining her pick of the song, Gerwig called it “an epic song” built around “a spiritual journey, a path of fake idols and wrong roads you can go down,” adding that this made it fit naturally as an introduction to her film’s world. She said being granted the rights affected her deeply, noting, “I was so moved that they allowed me to use this song. They saw the heart and story of the film.”

Jimmy Page addressed the decision through social media, praising Gerwig as “a switched-on creative” with a track record that includes Little Women, Lady Bird and Barbie. He wrote that he was “thrilled” she had chosen “Stairway to Heaven” for the trailer.

Why ‘Stairway to Heaven’ Has Never Been in a Movie Before

“Stairway to Heaven” first appeared on Led Zeppelin’s untitled fourth album, commonly known as Led Zeppelin IV, in 1971. The band never released it as a U.S. single, so it never charted on the Billboard Hot 100, even as the parent album climbed to No. 2 on the Billboard 200 in 1971.

The band’s long refusal to license the track became something of a pop-culture punchline, most famously referenced in Wayne’s World, where a music store employee bars the character Wayne from playing it. Cameron Crowe had to cut a scene built around the song from Almost Famous after Led Zeppelin declined to grant rights, restoring it only on a later DVD release without the actual music.

What Narnia: The Magician’s Nephew Is About

The film adapts C.S. Lewis’s “The Magician’s Nephew”, a prequel to “The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe”, and is being described as the first film version of that particular book. Its cast includes Daniel Craig, Carey Mulligan and Ciarán Hinds, with Emma Mackey playing the White Witch and Meryl Streep voicing Aslan. Newcomers David McKenna and Beatrice Campbell take on the roles of Digory and Polly, joined by Kobna Holdbrook-Smith, Denise Gough and Susan Wokoma.

Gerwig has said she first began drafting the screenplay in 2021 after pitching the project to Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos. Beyond Led Zeppelin, she has pointed to David Bowie, the Rolling Stones and Todd Rundgren as musical touchstones that shaped her approach to the film.

Narnia: The Magician’s Nephew is set to arrive in theaters on February 12, 2027, before moving to Netflix on April 2. Reports describe it as poised to become Netflix’s biggest theatrical debut in the company’s history.

More Info

• Why Jimmy Page allowed Narnia movie director to use Led Zeppelin’s Stairway to Heaven | Guitar Player
• Heres How Greta Gerwig Got Led Zeppelin to Say Yes to Using Stairway to Heaven in Narnia Trailer | Billboard
• Led Zeppelin classic soundtracks Greta Gerwig’s ‘Narnia: The Magicians Nephew’ first trailer | NME
• Led Zeppelin finally license Stairway to Heaven for Greta Gerwigs Narnia movie | Far Out Magazine
• Led Zeppelin Finally Loosen Their Grip on Stairway to Heaven for New Narnia Movie | Consequence
• Led Zeppelin Finally Licensed “Stairway To Heaven” For A Movie | Stereogum
• Led Zeppelin finally relent: Stairway To Heaven soundtracks the new Narnia trailer | Louder / Classic Rock
• Greta Gerwig Debuts Narnia Trailer, Opens Up About Telling an Intimate Story on the Biggest Screen You Can Imagine | The Hollywood Reporter Music