Greta Gerwig’s new Narnia trailer set to Led Zeppelin

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Greta Gerwig, left, and Meryl Streep, right Associated Press / AP Photo

Greta Gerwig’s new <em>Narnia</em> trailer set to Led Zeppelin

Netflix on Tuesday released its first trailer for the long-awaited film adaptation of C.S. Lewis’ novel The Magician’s Nephew, set to “Stairway to Heaven.” The classic rock hit by Led Zeppelin runs under the entire preview, ending with a few lyrics of the song, for an interpretation of the book’s well-known scene of Aslan singing Narnia into existence.

The film, formally titled Narnia: The Magician’s Nephew, is written for the screen and directed by Oscar-nominated filmmaker Greta Gerwig, based on Lewis’ 1955 story, per the trailer. The trailer marked the first time that Zeppelin's guitarist Jimmy Page and lead singer Robert Plant approved the song for licensed use. Gerwig controversially chose to have actress Meryl Streep voice the male Aslan for her movie.

The trailer debuted child actors David McKenna and Beatrice Campbell, portraying the story’s central characters, Digory Kirke and Polly Plummer, respectively. Daniel Craig also appeared to play Digory’s Uncle Andrew Ketterley, the so-called magician referenced in the title. Viewers received a first look at Jadis, the White Witch, portrayed by Emma Mackey, and Carey Mulligan as Digory’s mother, and Streep’s voice paired with the cosmic outline of the godlike, male lion.

Gerwig’s decision to cast Streep as the ruling lion, a character recognized as a nearly allegorical representation of Jesus Christ, has triggered a heavy backlash from Christian communities. Gerwig told Empire Magazine that the character would still be written as a male, but that Streep’s voice was chosen to communicate the character’s deep emotion and gravity with joy. The film will open in theaters on Feb. 12, 2027, before being released on Netflix for streaming about a month and a half later.

—Editor’s note: This story has been changed to more cautiously describe the voices and singing as heard on the movie trailer.