Numerous pitches came about after “The Karate Kid” proved a box office success; for Ralph Macchio, that meant a barrage of offers related to LaRusso. One pitch, in particular, stands above the rest thanks to a ludicrous premise; what if Rocky Balboa and Daniel LaRusso teamed up? The pairing would have seen the duo — both with a child of their own — training fighters. Somehow the film would find a way to bridge the gap between their east coast and west coast locations.

According to an EW exclusive excerpt, the memoir states it all happened during a lunch devoted entirely to another project. Having John Avildsen, director of both “Rocky” and “The Karate Kid,” in attendance gave a screenwriter the opportunity to strike with the big idea. It didn’t hurt that the franchise was coming off its fourth film, starring future Academy Award winner Hilary Swank.

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According to the actor, a response was slow in coming from Avildsen, execs, and himself. “My mind raced to gather visions of Stallone and me running through the slums of Newark,” Macchio writes. The silence was broken by Avildsen — who laughed before telling those in attendance that it was “a forced idea.” Apparently, the idea was scrapped after that, with no other mentions to be found.