PHOENIX is a gritty, character-driven tech-thriller forged in the spirit of the BBC cult series BUGS, reuniting Craig McLachlan and Jesse Birdsall on screen for the first time in decades.

 

Months after a mission ends in tragedy, two former operatives are pulled back into a shadow world of surveillance, digital warfare, and high-stakes espionage. Old loyalties are tested. Old wounds are torn open. And what begins as unfinished business will become the spark for something entirely new.

 

Born from a desire to modernise the world of BUGS while breaking free from the legal web of its original IP, PHOENIX is both a love letter to the past and the launchpad for a bold new chapter. By the end of this film, the ties to the old world are cut — and the age of Phoenix begins.

 

Independently produced by Cinema Vault Studio, PHOENIX blends grounded action, emotional intensity, and the kind of tech-driven intrigue that made BUGS a cult hit — all through a stripped-back, story-first lens for a modern audience.

 

This isn’t nostalgia.
 

This isn’t a reboot.
 

This is the birth of something new.
 

This is what comes after.