Why Narnia's The Magician's Nephew Trailer Using Led Zeppelin's Stairway To Heaven Is Perfect

Netflix’s Bold Narnia Soundtrack Choice Is A Stroke Of Genius Published Oct 19, 2026, 11:46 PM EDT Since 2019, Kevin Erdmann has been one of Screen Rant's Senior Staff Writers, covering all kinds of Superhero and Star Wars media with Easter egg breakdowns, theory pieces, breaking news, and more. A huge Star Wars & MCU fan, Kevin also loves Batman (because he's Batman), but could talk for hours about why Nightwing is DC's greatest hero. With 8 years of total experience covering entertainment and pop culture, Kevin has gotten the chance to interview top creatives and talent, and has also attended major media events like Disney's D23 convention. Majoring in Cinema Studies with a minor in Comics and Cartoon Studies from the UofO, Kevin lives in Oregon with his wonderful wife, adorable dog, and sinister cat who is no doubt currently plotting his demise. Netflix's upcoming Narnia: The Magician's Nephew promises to be a fascinating new take on C.S. Lewis' beloved fantasy franchise, the likes of which we've never seen before. Having just released its very first trailer, this new look from director Greta Gerwig features one key ingredient that absolutely stands out above the rest, communicating volumes about the full movie ahead of its release early next year. Remarkably, Netflix has paired the magical world of Narnia and its origins with Led Zeppelin's legendary rock song "Stairway to Heaven." While it may seem like an unconventional choice on paper, it's absolutely perfect in the brand-new trailer for Gerwig's The Magician's Nephew. As seen in the new trailer, audiences get to see young Digory and Polly interacting with Daniel Craig's Uncle Andrew, discovering magical new worlds, and encountering Jadis, the future White Witch played by Emma Mackey. The trailer also teases the great lion Aslan bringing Narnia itself into existence. While incredibly bold, here's why Led Zeppelin's "Stairway to Heaven" was absolutely the perfect song choice to get audiences excited about the upcoming Netflix blockbuster, while also telling us quite a bit about the kind of movie Greta Gerwig is making. While Gerwig did voice her apparent rock-and-roll inspirations behind The Magician's Nephew before the trailer's release, the use of "Stairway to Heaven" is still a bold choice for more reasons than one. After all, it's one of the most well-known and popular rock songs of all time...but man, does it work so well. As the trailer opens with that unmistakably gentle, almost folksy guitar before swelling to the massive rock anthem, the song works perfectly as Digory and Polly discover fantastic worlds beyond their own. The lyrics also complement the Narnia franchise quite well with its themes of faith, good and evil, redemption, and more, particularly for The Magician's Nephew (the creation story of Narnia itself). Furthermore, the track reaches its epic peak right as Aslan is shown bringing Narnia into being through song. Combined with all the impressive color and vibrant visuals, Netflix and Gerwig are clearly trying to sell a Narnia movie we've never seen before, looking to be truly cosmically epic in nature. There's also the remarkable history behind the use of the song itself. After all, Led Zeppelin had never licensed "Stairway to Heaven" for a film before this trailer, despite decades of requests. Having been shown an early cut months earlier, the band permitting Gerwig to use such an iconic song for the first time hopefully speaks to the movie's quality and the strength of her overall vision. Stairway To Heaven Hints At A Different Kind Of Narnia Movie Clearly, the soundtrack choice here suggests that Greta Gerwig intends to give The Magician's Nephew a unique identity beyond recreating the familiar fantasy-adventure formula we saw with Disney's versions of the early 2000s, at least not right away. With that lens, The Magician's Nephew is certainly a great starting point with its more cosmic focus on other worlds and the creation of entirely new ones through song. Clearly inspired by the source material and Aslan's power of song, Greta Gerwig clearly has the ambition to put her own spin and take on the franchise she grew up reading as a child. As a result, the combination of classic rock, fantastical imagery, and the spectacular creation of Narnia suggests a movie that will embrace some pretty unorthodox creative choices while hopefully still remaining connected to the story's emotional and spiritual foundations. It's a great trailer, but that doesn't inherently guarantee a great movie (promising as it is). The Magician's Nephew still needs to deliver a compelling adaptation of a story that's been beloved by generations of readers since 1950, to take Gerwig's new ideas while still balancing and honoring the core themes of faith and creation that have made C.S. Lewis' works so enduring to begin with. All that to say, "Stairway to Heaven" is objectively an inspired means of introducing this new take on Narnia with this first look, promising what will no doubt be a bold vision throughout from Greta Gerwig and Netflix. Greta Gerwig's Narnia: The Magician's Nephew releases on February 12, 2027 Release Date February 12, 2027 Director Greta Gerwig Writers Greta Gerwig Cast David McKenna Digory Kirke Beatrice Campbell Polly Plummer Carey Mulligan Mabel Kirke