Led Zeppelin's 'Stairway to Heaven' scores first trailer for Netflix's Narnia: The Magician's Nephew

Trailer debut in Manhattan

Netflix unveiled the first trailer for Greta Gerwig's Narnia: The Magician's Nephew on Tuesday, 13 October 2026, in the IMAX theater at AMC Lincoln Square on Manhattan's Upper West Side. Select members of the press and influencers attended the early-morning event, where Gerwig spoke with moderator Stephen Colbert about making the film. Coffee, popcorn in Narnia-branded cartons and mini pancakes were served, and attendees wore light-up rings that synced with moments in the preview. The trailer opens in the grayscale world of London before moving into Narnia, and its second half is scored to Led Zeppelin's 'Stairway to Heaven'. Gerwig told the audience she only knows how to make movies for theaters, and she pictures each film on the biggest screen she can imagine as she works.

Music rights

Gerwig said she approached Robert Plant and Jimmy Page, who seldom license 'Stairway to Heaven', and talked with them about the themes of the film. She told Colbert that the song suits a story about two paths of good and evil and a spiritual journey. According to Gerwig, Plant and Page agreed partly because they are fans of C.S. Lewis, and they saw the heart of the film. Gerwig described their response this way in the conversation with Colbert:

They saw the heart and the story and the drama in it.

Gerwig said the trailer left her emotional, and she was tearing up as it debuted, with her hand over her mouth.

The story and cast

The film follows Digory Kirke and Polly Plummer, played by David McKenna and Beatrice Campbell, who are taken from London into the Wood Between the Worlds and are present when Narnia begins. Daniel Craig plays their uncle Andrew Ketterley, the magician who gives the children magic rings. Emma Mackey plays Jadis, the queen who becomes the White Witch, Carey Mulligan plays Digory's mother, and Meryl Streep voices Aslan, the lion who sings Narnia into existence. Gizmodo reported that the story is set in the 1950s, a change from the book's early 1900s setting. Gerwig, who has known the books for most of her life, put it this way in the interview:

I don't remember a time I didn't know the books.

Gerwig said she began work on the earliest drafts in 2020, years before she directed Barbie. She recalled approaching Netflix's Ted Sarandos at a cocktail party, around the time of her husband Noah Baumbach's Marriage Story, and said that about 20 minutes later he asked whether she wanted to write the film.

Release plan

Netflix will open the film in theaters for five weeks beginning 12 February 2027, a first for a Netflix film, before it reaches the streamer on 2 April. It will be Netflix's first wide theatrical release. Several behind-the-scenes features were launched alongside the trailer, ahead of its online release. The movie is Gerwig's first feature since Barbie, the 2023 box office hit.

1. 2020Gerwig begins work on the earliest drafts for the film
2. Oct 13, 2026First trailer unveiled at an IMAX screening in Manhattan
3. Feb 12, 2027Five-week theatrical run begins
4. Apr 2, 2027Film arrives on Netflix

Viewers who do not see it on a big screen can watch it on Netflix from 2 April.