Led Zeppelin Licensed Stairway to Heaven for Narnia
The iconic rock band ended a three-decade ban on using the song in film trailers for the new Narnia adaptation.
Updated on Oct. 13, 2026 in Rock
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Led Zeppelin has granted licensing rights for the track Stairway to Heaven to be used in the film trailer for Narnia: The Magician's Nephew. This decision marks the end of a three-decade period during which the band consistently denied film licensing requests for the song.
Why it matters
The license was granted due to the personal affinity Robert Plant holds for the literature of C.S. Lewis. This rare authorization reverses the band's long-standing policy of restricting the track from commercial film use.
The Narnia: The Magician's Nephew trailer has a total runtime of 3 minutes. The trailer features the guitar intro, bridge, outro, and the iconic guitar solo from the track.
The players
Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin is a legendary English rock band formed in 1968 that is widely considered one of the most influential acts in music history.
Robert Plant
Robert Plant is the lead singer and lyricist of Led Zeppelin who maintains a well-documented interest in the fantasy literature of C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien.
Greta Gerwig
Greta Gerwig is a filmmaker and director who secured the rights to use the song in her upcoming adaptation of the Chronicles of Narnia.
The details
Director Greta Gerwig successfully secured the rights for the Chronicles of Narnia adaptation, allowing the song to appear in the new trailer. Previously, the band refused to license the song for major projects, leading to the omission of scenes in films like Almost Famous and temporary exclusions from Wayne's World.
Timeline
The song was featured in the 1976 concert film The Song Remains the Same.
The theatrical run of Wayne's World in 1992 included a snippet of the song.
In 2000, the film Almost Famous was edited to remove a scene requiring the song.
The song intro was reintroduced in the 2022 Blu-ray release of Wayne's World.
The trailer for Narnia: The Magician's Nephew was released in October 2026.
Industry Dynamics
The move marks a departure from the band's long-standing policy exemplified by the 2000 Almost Famous song omission. This shift reflects the ongoing evolution of franchise marketing strategies where iconic music is increasingly essential to trailer impact.
Fans can now hear the legendary track within the context of the official three-minute Narnia: The Magician's Nephew trailer. This change ensures that high-profile film projects may now have a greater chance of securing the song for future marketing materials.
The takeaway
The successful licensing of the track demonstrates how a director's personal connection to the source material can influence the band's strict licensing decisions. Listeners interested in the band's legacy should note that this remains a rare exception to their historical refusal to license the song.
Further reading
Learn more about the history of the genre in our Rock section.
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