How Greta Gerwig Won Over Led Zeppelin for ‘Stairway to Heaven’ in the ‘Narnia’ Trailer

Few rock songs are guarded as closely as Led Zeppelin’s “Stairway to Heaven,” the epic released on November 8, 1971, on the band’s untitled fourth album. Jimmy Page and Robert Plant have long turned down requests to put the track on the big screen, famously declining to let it appear in both ‘Wayne’s World’ and ‘Almost Famous’.

That history made it all the more surprising when the first trailer for Greta Gerwig’s ‘Narnia: The Magician’s Nephew’ arrived on Tuesday, October 13, with the song playing throughout. The Netflix adaptation of C.S. Lewis’s 1955 novel, a prequel to ‘The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe’, is set to arrive in theaters in February.

So how did the ‘Barbie’ director pull it off? Gerwig skipped the usual channels and personally reached out to Led Zeppelin, writing to Page and Plant and showing them an early cut of the film to convince them, according to Variety.

She also met with both musicians in person. Speaking with Stephen Colbert at a trailer presentation at New York’s AMC Lincoln Square IMAX theater, held just hours before the trailer premiered online, Gerwig explained that the pair saw the heart of the story and that they, too, love C.S. Lewis.

Greta Gerwig had to directly convince Led Zeppelin to let them use “Stairway to Heaven” in the ‘NARNIA’ trailer. She says that the song felt appropriate since it is “about a spiritual journey down a path of enlightenment. About false idols and the wrong paths to go down.” https://t.co/2r1oFZmX7M

— DiscussingFilm (@DiscussingFilm) October 13, 2026

For Gerwig, the choice was about far more than landing a famous rock anthem. She described the track as a song about a spiritual journey toward enlightenment, touching on false idols and the danger of taking the wrong path.

Those themes run through ‘The Magician’s Nephew’ as well. Gerwig, who attended Catholic school as a child, has previously spoken about how much the spiritual side of Lewis’s books means to her.

Page publicly celebrated the collaboration on Instagram in a post timed to the trailer’s release. He described meeting Gerwig as a privilege, praised her as a powerhouse in cinema and said he was thrilled she chose the song.

A Universe Begins. See how Narnia was created in Narnia: The Magician’s Nephew, a film by Greta Gerwig – only in theaters February 12. https://t.co/jwxksCL0N7

— Netflix (@netflix) October 13, 2026

Gerwig, meanwhile, said she was deeply moved that the band agreed to let her use it. Given Led Zeppelin’s reputation for being highly selective, the approval marks a rare exception for the group.

The song choice fits Gerwig’s broader vision for the film. She has said she wanted to make a rock opera, citing David Bowie, Paul McCartney, David Gilmour, Pete Townshend, Page and Plant as inspirations.

A pre-screening playlist at the New York event leaned into that influence too, featuring artists including Bowie, The Rolling Stones and Todd Rundgren. It’s a striking musical identity for a fantasy story about the creation of an entire world.

The trailer showcases the birth of Narnia and introduces its central characters. David McKenna and Beatrice Campbell star as Digory Kirke and Polly Plummer, who are drawn into an adventure involving magical rings and Digory’s eccentric Uncle Andrew, played by Daniel Craig.

The footage builds to a climactic sequence featuring Aslan, voiced by Meryl Streep. While the trailer offers only a roar from the mighty lion, it’s enough to tease what’s to come. “Stairway to Heaven” has a fascinating history of its own.

Because the band chose not to release it as a U.S. single, the roughly 8-minute track never charted on the Billboard Hot 100 during its original run, instead becoming a radio staple that helped drive the success of its parent album. Led Zeppelin’s licensing deals don’t come cheap, either. The Los Angeles Times reported in 2012 that the band charges a 7-figure fee to license its music for films.

First poster for Greta Gerwig’s ‘NARNIA’. Trailer releases tomorrow. https://t.co/CZ9kUEDIVm

— DiscussingFilm (@DiscussingFilm) October 12, 2026

For many viewers, the Led Zeppelin moment has become the trailer’s biggest talking point. Some fans are thrilled by the bold musical choice, while others say they’re more excited about Gerwig’s overall vision for the story. Either way, securing such a rarely licensed song signals just how ambitious Netflix’s big Narnia adaptation intends to be.

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