For more than half a century, no production company could let Jimmy Page and Robert Plant release their best-known song, the wonderful and overplayed ‘Stairway to Heaven’. The first trailer for ‘Narnia: The Magician’s Nephew’ broke that historic veto, allowing Netflix to achieve what Hollywood had unsuccessfully pursued for decades.
stairway to heaven It is considered one of the greatest rock anthems of all time and a meme for it leave An almost religious devotion that awakens in some devotees. The level of obsession is such that many musical instrument stores have hung ‘No Stairway to Heaven’ signs to deter customers from playing the guitar while trying it on.
Added to this respect is that Jimmy Page and Robert Plant, the owners of the song’s rights, are very strict and for decades have rejected its use in all kinds of audiovisual productions, which is why its appearance in the trailer of the next Netflix blockbuster is quite surprising.
How did he get it?. Greta Gerwig says she had to speak directly to Page and Plant to get permission to use the song. The director talked to them about the theme of the film and found something in CS Lewis’s story that fits the spirit of ‘Stairway to Heaven’. “They did it because they saw the essence of the story in the film and they admire CS Lewis and have a deep respect for his work,” Gerwig explained.
The decision left a very good taste in the mouth of Jimmy Page, who shared the trailer on his Instagram profile, where he took the opportunity to praise the director: “I had the privilege of meeting Greta Gerwig, an influential figure in the world of cinema.” He also described her as “a brilliant creative” and assured that she was “excited that she chose ‘Stairway to Heaven’ for the trailer of her film.”
Decades of rejection. Being such a venerable song, there have been many attempts to bring it to audiovisual media, but so far they have not all panned out. Perhaps the bloodiest case is that of Cameron Crowe, who was inspired by the story of Led Zeppelin and wanted to include it in the film ‘Almost Famous’. Crowe, who has been friends with the band since they were teenagers, came to film a scene where the protagonist plays ‘Stairway to Heaven’ to his mother to explain why rock is so important to him, but that didn’t soften Page and Plant.
This also happened in ‘Wayne’s World’, where the protagonist enters a guitar shop and finds a sign prohibiting playing ‘Stairway to Heaven’. Led Zeppelin didn’t even approve of the first chords, so they had to replace them with others in the final cut. They rejected his appearance in the episode ‘Bart Sells His Soul’ on ‘The Simpsons’, forcing him to use another song instead.
Doubts about the final footage. As of now it is not clear whether the song will be included in the film or they have only got permission to use it in the trailer. Regardless, we’ll have a long wait to clear up any doubts: ‘Narnia: The Sorcerer’s Nephew’ hits theaters on February 12, 2027 and premieres on Netflix on April 2, 2027.
Through this Gry Online
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