Securing an original Led Zeppelin recording for a film trailer is one of the steepest challenges in modern music clearance. Jimmy Page and Robert Plant have historically guarded the group's masters with notable caution, keeping their definitive catalog away from standard commercial sync requests. When Greta Gerwig set out to cut the initial preview for Narnia: The Magician's Nephew, she bypassed traditional orchestral film cues entirely. The first look at the production is framed by Stairway To Heaven, joining rock music's most famous epic to the origin story of C.S. Lewis's fantasy realm.
The agreement came together through a direct approach rather than standard studio representation. Gerwig arranged a face to face meeting with Page and Plant to pitch her vision for the cue. Speaking at a press event, she recalled feeling deeply moved when the songwriting duo gave their blessing. That approval arrived partly because both musicians hold a genuine regard for Lewis's writing. Gerwig drew a parallel between the narrative arc of the book and the trajectory of the track, noting their shared focus on enlightenment, spiritual discovery, and the creeping risk of losing one's way.
That reading ties straight into the foundation of the source material. Published in 1955 as the sixth installment among the seven Chronicles of Narnia books, The Magician's Nephew takes place prior to the events of The Lion, The Witch And The Wardrobe. Despite the enduring reach of the franchise, this particular entry has never received a feature film adaptation until now. The plot details the birth of the magical land from nothing, driven by an act of musical creation: the cosmic lion Aslan brings the entire world into being by singing it into existence.
For Gerwig, that specific concept carried significant weight long before she ever worked behind a movie camera. She read the book during childhood, and the idea of a universe constructed purely out of song stayed with her over the years. Lewis's story made a transformative impact on her early imagination, leaving her convinced that wonder, enchantment, and awe were accessible to ordinary people rather than reserved for a chosen few. Setting the introductory footage to a monumental rock composition operates as a clear nod to that mythology, treating music as the spark for creation itself.
The execution of the preview leans into that creative choice by steering away from standard symphonic fantasy music. Instead, the teaser pairs the genesis narrative with a distinct glam rock sensibility. The footage also showcases the production's central cast, with Emma Mackey appearing as The White Witch, Daniel Craig playing The Magician, and Meryl Streep providing the vocal performance for Aslan. Carey Mulligan, David McKenna, and Beatrice Campbell feature alongside them in the ensemble.
Audiences will have to wait quite a while to discover whether that tone carries across the wider project. Narnia: The Magician's Nephew is scheduled to arrive in movie theaters on February 12, 2027, followed by its streaming release on Netflix on April 2. By convincing Page and Plant to open their catalog, Gerwig has made a striking opening move, anchoring an ancient fantasy world to the unmistakable weight of classic rock royalty.
