PHOENIX IS ONLINE
Establishing the visual tone of the pilot.
An early look at the tone of PHOENIX. This teaser establishes the project’s visual identity and overall direction, presenting a grounded, modern aesthetic that reflects the intended feel of the pilot.
Paula Hunt Joins Phoenix
Paula Hunt reflects on Alex Mitchell
We’re delighted to share a special message from Paula Hunt, who returns to the world of BUGS as Alex Mitchell in Phoenix.
In this short video, Paula reflects on Alex as fans remember her and poses an intriguing question: what has Alex been doing for the past thirty years?
Phoenix begins with that mystery.
As the story unfolds, the former BUGS team will be forced to confront the past they thought was long behind them, and uncover the truth about why Alex has gone rogue and the events that will lead to the activation of the Phoenix programme.
Watch Paula’s message and join us as the story begins.
COMING IN 2026
PHOENIX is a gritty, character-driven tech-drama series forged in the spirit of the BBC cult series BUGS, reuniting Craig McLachlan, Jesse Birdsall and Paula Hunt on screen for the first time in decades.
After the original BUGS team were quietly discarded by the very government they once served, a new crisis forces them back into the shadows.
When intelligence chief Jan learns that a government agent has gone rogue, a kill-on-sight order is issued within hours. But Jan believes the truth is far more complicated than it appears.
The agent in question is Alex Mitchell.
With time running out and the system already moving to eliminate her, Jan activates a long-dormant contingency programme known only as Phoenix. Ed Mitchell and Beckett Shaw are drawn back together to uncover what really happened to their former colleague and bring Alex in alive before it is too late.
But as the team follows Alex’s trail through a web of secrets, betrayals and hidden agendas, they begin to realise that the truth behind her disappearance may be far more dangerous than anyone imagined.
Sometimes the only way to save the future…
is to resurrect the past.
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.
The pilot episode begins with the ties of the old world being cut, and ends with the birth of Phoenix.
Created 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.