Greta Gerwig on securing Led Zeppelin's 'Stairway to Heaven' for 'Narnia' trailer: 'They love C.S. Lewis too'

When Netflix debuted the first trailer for Greta Gerwig's Narnia: The Witch's Nephew this week, fans were treated to a symbolic needle drop. Gerwig recently explained how he convinced Led Zeppelin to license "Stairway to Heaven" to adapt C.

When Netflix debuted the first trailer for Greta Gerwig's Narnia: The Witch's Nephew this week, fans were treated to a symbolic needle drop.

Gerwig recently explained how he convinced Led Zeppelin to license "Stairway to Heaven" for the adaptation of C.S.'s prequel book. Lewis, after the band infamously turned down all previous requests to screen the 1971 song.

"I showed them and talked to them, Robert Plant and Jimmy Page, and I was so impressed that they let me use the song," Gerwig told Stephen Colbert in a Q&A. "They did it because they saw the heart of the story in the movie, and they also love C.S. Lewis and respect his work. It was all very serendipitous. But I'm so glad it became a song."

Gerwig explained that the song is "exactly the story" of the film. "It's an epic song. It's an amazing song. It's a narrative. It's about a spiritual journey," he said. Watch on Deadline

"It's about the true path of enlightenment and spirituality, and then there's this path of false idols and wrong roads you can take," Gerwig added. And I was like, "That's exactly what this movie is about." It's really a spiritual quest and a spiritual journey, so for me it was a song that made sense to introduce it to the world. But this song, they didn't let it be used in anything."

Previous failed attempts to license "Stairway to Heaven" included an episode of The Simpsons, Almost Famous in 1995 (2000) and the Stranger Things finale last year, while Mike Myers mocked the band's protection of the song in a scene from Wayne's World (1992).

Narnia: The Magician's Nephew, premiering on Imax on February 12, 2027, ahead of its Netflix premiere on April 2, follows two children Diggory (David McKenna) and Polly (Beatrice Campbell) as they follow Uncle Andrew Diggory (Daniel Craig, who is filled with a magical ending) in his office. A pool of worlds leads them to a dead city, where they awaken Queen Anne (Emma Mackie) who destroyed its population and accidentally abandons her in London.

Get our breaking news alerts and keep your inbox happy.